


The Tale of Boston Cremes and Apple Fritters

by BanishingShadows



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Missing Scenes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2018-09-22 15:09:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 49,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9613235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BanishingShadows/pseuds/BanishingShadows
Summary: As the proprietor of Purgatory's only bakery, Sue Carson has a front row seat to Nicole and Waverly's relationship from the very beginning. Little did she know that her mothering would lead her to really find out what is happening in Purgatory.





	1. Welcome to Purgatory

With a town whose name is Purgatory, you expect it to be quirky. I’ve lived in Purgatory for 63 years and I can tell you first hand that quirky doesn't even come close to the word that I would use. The phrase “Holy crap on a cracker this place is down right batshit bizzaro crazy” comes the closest. But even with the weird happenings, the peculiar people, and the sad tragedies that have plagued this town, I have had the pleasure of witnessing the truest of love stories. Yes, that’s right, a love story in Purgatory. And it all started when a certain redhead entered my bakery four years ago.

It was 9:30 AM on a Wednesday morning that the bell to my shop chimed the entrance of a patron. Standing up after having just slid in a dozen fresh glazed donuts into the display, I find my eyes having to travel further up to take in the unfamiliar young woman standing before me in a Sheriff’s uniform.

“Mrs. Carson?” the woman asked.

“Yes?”

“Hello. I’m Officer Nicole Haught,” she introduced as she extended her hand out to me.

“Hello,” I repeated back and shook her hand, surprised by her firm, but gentle grip.

“I’m the newest recruit to the Ghost River County Sheriff's Department stationed here in Purgatory. I wanted to come by and introduce myself to you and the other proprietors around town,” she smiled warmly.

“Thank you. It’s much appreciated,” I smiled back, taking an instant liking to this new officer.

“I’ll be patrolling down along Main Street starting tomorrow. Here’s my card. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”

The officer handed me her card and I took it, looking down at her black, embossed name then back up at her. “Certainly,” I answered.

“Have a good day, Ma’am,” she grinned, tipped her Stetson at me, and started to turn around.

“Officer Haught?” I asked before she took too many steps away from the counter.

“Yes, Ma’am?” she addressed as she turned back towards me.

“As a welcome to Purgatory, you can pick out anything in the case free of charge.”

Her face lit up with a wide smile, the dimples on both corners of her mouth on full display. She stepped to her left and eyed the many different pastries and donuts that filled the case. She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and I watched as her eyes danced back and forth between two different choices.

“I will take an apple fritter, please,” she finally stated about thirty seconds later.

“Good choice,” I commented and grabbed one for her, putting it in a bag before handing it to her.

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

“You’re most welcome, Officer.”

She flashed me her dimples before turning to leave. This time, she managed to take more than two steps before she stopped and stared out the window.

“Officer Haught?” I asked with a frown, wondering what in the world had happened to the woman.

She didn’t answer me; just continued to look out the window. Curious, I followed her line of sight and saw exactly why the rookie officer had become frozen like a statue with her mouth open, catching flies in the middle of my bakery. One Miss Waverly Earp was walking down the sidewalk across the street.

Who could blame Officer Haught? Waverly Earp was one of those girls that could take your breath away while wearing her go to high waisted shorts, a Shorty’s crop top with her long brown hair cascading down her back and giving her trademark smile and wave. I only wished the girl would stop dumbing herself down to fit in.

I could understand why she’d want to maintain a low profile in a town where just having Earp as a last name was a curse, but Waverly was smarter than everyone in this backwards town put together. Listening to her practice saying phrases in ancient languages for months on end while sitting at one of my tables until late at night was proof enough.

Perhaps all the youngest Earp needed was someone with no knowledge of her family history, someone that would give her the opportunity to be herself and not guilt her into being just a pretty face. Someone who was considerate and polite, someone who would be her shoulder to lean on and stand by her side through the thick and thin. Maybe, just maybe this rookie officer could be the friend that poor woman so desperately needed.

I watched Waverly until she disappeared from my view then turned my attention to the woman still in my shop, who was finally showing signs of life.

“Her name is Waverly Earp,” I supplied.

“W-What?” Officer Haught asked over her shoulder while still keeping her eyes directed out the window.

“The woman that just walked by,” I replied trying not to laugh. “Her name is Waverly Earp.”

“Waverly,” the officer repeated in a breathy sigh. 

“She tends bar at Shorty’s Saloon. You should introduce yourself.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I’ll do that,” she agreed then unglued herself from the floor and headed out the door with purpose. 

I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me as I smiled and shook my head before going about the rest of my day.

For the next four mornings, Officer Haught tipped her hat to me through the window as she patrolled on foot around the center of town and came in for an apple fritter as an after shift treat.

I learned quite a bit about the young officer during this time, finding out that she was from Chicago, but had come to Colorado a year ago. She didn't elaborate as to her reasoning for such a drastic move from the big city to a tiny town and I didn’t pry either sensing her story wasn’t one that was particularly happy. She had one sister and two brothers, all several years older, and a shelter cat with an immense hatred towards men. Her desire to be in law enforcement started when she was six years old after her aunt and uncle were killed and there was no one there to protect them. 

For someone who seemed so jovial and happy, she had experienced so much sadness in her life. It reminded me of Waverly and I was sure more than ever that the two women would be perfect for each other.

On the fifth day, Sheriff Nedley had taken over the foot patrols giving the rookie a much needed rest. But I did manage to see her even if it was just a glimpse when she spotted Waverly sitting in one of my booths drinking coffee before she ducked down out of view, which was quite the achievement since the officer was so tall and the brick of my building was only three feet high before the glass began. I laughed out loud at the spectacle before me which caused Waverly to look over at me with a raised eyebrow that only made me to laugh harder.

Officer Haught resumed her patrols two days later and I had a warm apple fritter waiting for her once her shift ended. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink when I made mention that I missed seeing her in my shop the past few days, but I didn’t comment on it.

Ten days later, Nicole, as I was instructed to call her when she was off duty, was allowed to start patrolling the grounds outside the center of town and she took to only visiting my shop every couple of days about an hour before I closed for the night. It was on one such night that I ended up witnessing what would be the straw that broke the camel’s back that ended up bringing these two love birds together.

Nicole was eating her usual apple fritter and drinking a latte while I was telling her a story about my three year old grandson when the bell to my shop rang. Both Nicole and I turned our attention to the door to see Chrissy Nedley enter with a laughing Waverly Earp behind her.

What happened next occurred so fast that I didn’t have time to process it. One second, Nicole had been in front of me and in the next, I’m catching a blur of tan and navy blue hurling itself towards the bathroom and hearing the sharp, metallic clink of the lock being engaged.

I’m positive the two women before me were oblivious to what had just happened, but the funny look on my face prompted Waverly to ask if I was ok.

“Yes, I am fine, Dear. Now, what can I get you lovely ladies this evening?” I replied back in a cheery voice in an attempt to keep her from asking anymore questions.

It worked and soon the two women were on their way out the door with two lattes and a box of assorted pastries in hand.

With a concerned glance towards the still closed bathroom door, I let out a sigh and grabbed a rag to wipe down the back counter where I had spilled some milk while making Chrissy and Waverly’s lattes. It took a few more minutes before I heard the bathroom lock being released and the shuffling of feet into the lobby. I was unprepared for the state I saw Nicole in when I turned around. Her head was bowed with shoulders slumped; her Stetson held loosely between her hands.

“Nicole? Honey, what’s wrong?” I questioned as I hurried around from behind the counter.

“I can’t believe I just did that,” she stated looking up at me with rosy red cheeks of embarrassment and put an arm over her eyes. “Shit. She probably thinks I’m some sort of crackpot. There’s no way I can introduce myself to her now.”

“Waverly didn’t see you,” I informed the distressed officer.

“She- She didn’t?” Nicole’s voice was disbelieving as she peeked at me from under her shirt sleeve.

“She was still looking at Chrissy when you ran to the bathroom like you had to piss like a race horse.” 

“Ugh!” she said covering her eyes again. “If I asked you really nicely, do you think you could forget that I just made a complete and total ass out of myself tonight?”

“On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You tell me why you keep acting like a nincompoop in front of Waverly Earp.”

Nicole dropped her arm away from her face surprised at my words.

“Oh yes. I saw you trying to be Houdini the other day when you saw Waverly sitting in that booth,” I gestured to the one directly behind her.

“Someone might as well take me out into the middle of the street and put me out of my misery,” she sighed in defeat. 

I couldn’t help but chuckle and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Dear, I wouldn’t throw the towel in just yet.”

“It’s hopeless. She’s smart and beautiful; way outta my league…and she has a boyfriend. I don’t stand a chance,” she stated dejectedly and moved slightly away from me.

“Oh, hog wash,” I scoffed. “If you’ve met Champ, then it would be obvious to you that he doesn’t deserve Waverly. He doesn’t have a lick of sense and his idea of a good time is working out and then getting shit faced.”

“There has to be something that’s kept her with him since high school.”

“Yeah, and it’s called limited dating options.”

“Limited or not, she has a choice and she’s chosen to stay with him.”

“Ok, what happened to the officer with confidence and swagger that took down Big Johnny MacDonald single handedly when he tried to break into the drug store last week?” I frowned at her.

“That was in the line of duty.”

“Enough of this! Nicole Haught, you are going to go into Shorty’s tomorrow and you’re going to introduce yourself to Waverly Earp or so help me I’ll never let you eat another one of my apple fritters ever again! Do you understand me?” I directed in a no nonsense tone of voice that caused the officer’s eyes to grow as big as saucers.

“Yes, Ma’am,” she agreed quickly.

“Good. Now, where was I in my story?”

The next evening, Nicole strutted into my bakery with her Stetson in hand and wearing a face splitting grin. 

“Sue, may I have one apple fritter please?” she asked flashing me her dimples.

“I take it you finally spoke to Waverly?”

“I did.”

“Tell me what happened and I’ll give you two,” I bargained.

“Deal.”

As I got Nicole her apple fritters, she started her tale of a malfunctioning beer tap, a damsel stuck in her own shirt, the boy-man, and a rain check on a cappuccino.

“Smooth Nicole, very smooth,” I stated and caused her to laugh before she turned serious.

“I felt anything but smooth during that entire exchange. My heart was racing a mile a minute and my palms were all sweaty.” She blew out a large sigh. “You don’t think I came on too strong, do you?” 

“Kid, you did great. You faced your nervousness head on. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, but I think the threat of not being able to eat your delicious apple fritters ever again had a lot to do with it,” she stated and gave me a smile.

“Not a threat. It was more of an incentive,” I corrected with a smile of my own and the two of us shared a laugh.


	2. To Endings and New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big THANK YOU to everyone who has left kudos and comments to this story! It means so much to me that you all are enjoying what I am writing. : )

Since having heard about Nicole and Waverly’s postponed coffee together, I’m unsurprised when the two of them show up at the bakery nine days later.

I watched as Nicole held the door open for a blushing Waverly and my heart swelled at the sight. In all the years that Champ had been with Waverly, I had never seen him hold the door open for her. Notta once, zip, zero, zilch. And here was Nicole doing it for her the first time they were out together.

“Good evening, ladies,” I smiled happily. “What can I get ya?” I asked even though I already knew what each of them was going to order.

“You order first,” Nicole said to Waverly.

“Thank you,” Waverly responded with a bashful smile that I’ve never seen her give anyone before. “I’d like one of your caramel lattes and a Boston Creme,” she directed at me and then brushed her hair behind her ear.

The simple action completely captivated Nicole and I swear Officer Dimples visibly swooned. She had it bad already and if Waverly’s shyness was anything to go by, she too, was very interested.

“And for you, Nicole?” I asked trying to keep myself from laughing when she forced her eyes away from the woman next to her to answer me.

“A mocha cappuccino and an apple fritter,” she stated with cheeks flushed pink.

Smiling, I told them to have a seat and I’d have their orders ready in a few minutes. As I prepared their drinks, I overheard Nicole asking Waverly where she’d like to sit and I wondered how long it would be before Waverly realized that she could do so much better than Champ and break up with him.

After delivering their order to them, I ducked into the back room to give them as much privacy as I could, but I still heard the two of them laughing and Waverly excitedly telling Nicole all about her degrees while the officer asked her in depth questions.

Every once in awhile my closing duties would take me up front and I’d peek over at the two women to see them paying rapt attention to whatever it is that the other was talking about. A budding romance was in the making and I felt horrible when I had to interrupt them to close the shop twenty minutes later than I normally would.

As I locked up, I took a gander down the street and watched the two women stroll slowly side by side back towards Shorty’s still laughing and having a good time.

Over the course of the next week, Purgatory raised its freak flag high with an abundance of missing person reports and mysterious deaths like Shorty’s. The man may have had angina, but I didn’t buy that his heart gave out from the stress of being a hostage. No death in Purgatory was ever that clear, cut, and dry unless you were over the age of 75.

Nicole came into the bakery the evening of Shorty’s death and requested a box of Boston cremes. I knew immediately who they were for and a small smile appeared on my face. As I started on Nicole’s order, Champ entered my shop and came right up to the display case acting as if Nicole wasn’t even there.

“Hey, Waverly told me to come get donuts so, I need some,” Champ said and I tried really hard not to laugh at the eye roll Nicole gave him as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“I’ll be with you in a moment after I get Officer Haught her order,” I told him.

“The cop can wait. It’s for Waverly and she needs me back with her. I was almost human sacrificed today,” Champ insisted while sporting a boo boo face.

If looks could kill, Champ would be buried further than the standard six feet under. Nicole was seething and rightfully so, but she shook her head and gestured for me to help Champ first.

“Give me all of your chocolate ones with sprinkles. Those are her favorite,” Champ stated flashing me a toothy smile.

My mouth dropped open in disbelief and my eyebrows disappeared under my bangs while Nicole put both hands up to her face and turned around. How freaking dumb was that boy? Waverly absolutely hated sprinkles, I mean HATED with all capital letters. Without a word, I did as he asked, giving him all seven chocolate sprinkle ones I had left and sent him on his way.

As soon as the door closed behind him, I turned my attention to Nicole to see her with her eyes closed and a pained look on her face while she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You ok?” I asked softly.

“Yeah,” she answered unconvincingly and sighed before dropping her hand away from her face to look at me. “I guess I’ll just take an apple fritter instead of the Boston cremes.”

I wanted to tell Nicole to get the Boston cremes anyway, that it didn’t matter that Champ had come in. It would be a nice gesture of comfort for Waverly and would show her that Nicole listened and cared for her, but I didn’t. I knew why she had changed her mind. Presenting an arm load of Waverly’s favorite donuts to her now would look like Nicole was trying to one up Champ and an argument would ensue.

With a heavy heart, I nodded and got the saddened officer her apple fritter, tossing a second one in the bag free of charge.

“Ummm, here’s some extra for when Waverly comes in next,” Nicole fumbled and gave me enough money to cover two Boston cremes and a caramel latte.

“Would you like for me to tell her that it’s from you?”

“No,” Nicole replied then added, “Thanks for the extra fritter, Sue.”

“You’re welcome.”

A crestfallen Nicole picked up her bag of donuts, bid me a goodnight, and left my shop.

I would see hide nor hair of Waverly or Nicole until days after Shorty’s funeral. I had heard through the grape vine that Nicole had been helping officers in the city by providing security for some annual festival and Waverly was slowly dealing with the death of yet another person that was family to her. Waverly came in first just after my lunch rush making her and I the only ones in my shop.

“Hi, Sue,” she greeted me with a sigh instead of her usual bright smile.

“Hey, Kiddo. What can I get you?”

“My favorites, please.”

“You got it. For here or to go?”

“For here.”

I made her caramel latte then grabbed a tray and gave her two Boston cremes. She tried to hand me money to pay for her items but I declined.

“Hon, it’s already been paid for.”

“What? When? By who?” she questioned with a puzzled frown on her face.

I know Nicole said not to tell her it was from her, but I couldn’t let Waverly think for even a moment that it might have been Champ.

“Officer Haught. She came in a few days ago and was going to get some Boston cremes for you, but Champ beat her to it and got you chocolate with sprinkles. So instead, Nicole prepaid for your next order.”

“She did?” Waverly asked as a genuine smile appeared on her face.

“She did,” I confirmed.

“That was really sweet of her.”

“It was. It’s not every day that someone like Nicole Haught comes along. She’s been a nice addition to Purgatory,” I added with a smile.

“I agree. Nicole is so kind and very considerate and incredibly thoughtful. She’s funny and real and she has this way of making me feel like I can do anything. And I know I’ve only known her for like a couple of months, but she’s great and wonderful. Amazing, really. Really, really amazing and extremely-,” Waverly stopped suddenly realizing that she had been singing Nicole’s praises out loud. Her cheeks burned bright red then and she nervously twirled a piece of her hair while looking anywhere but at me. “Well… I think…I better go drink my latte before it gets cold,” she stumbled trying to save face.

“Certainly, Dear,” I replied, hiding my smile.

I watched as she hurriedly sat down, quietly scolded herself for her rambling, and took a bite of her Boston creme. A thoughtful look replaced her frown and she pulled her phone out and took a picture of her food. I assumed she sent the picture in a text message because her thumbs danced on the touch screen and her phone beeped a reply just after she had set it down on the table.

For the next fifteen minutes, I’d glance over at the younger woman and smile as she giggled after reading each subsequent text sent to her before my work took me into the back of my shop.

It wasn’t long before I heard the bell above the bakery door ring and I peeked up front to see Nicole taking off her Stetson and sitting down across from Waverly. The two of them talked back and forth for the next twenty minutes until Nicole was pulled away on a call. As Nicole was leaving, she caught my eye, smiled widely, and tipped her hat to me.

Nicole and Waverly visited my bakery by themselves over the course of the next two weeks. Initially, I was concerned thinking that an argument or something had come between the two women, but when I heard Sheriff Nedley complaining one day that Purgatory was busy being Purgatory, I understood the reason for the change in routine.

It was exactly one week before Halloween when Champ came barreling through my door with a bouquet of wilted red roses tied together with a hideous black and white stripped bow screeching about how he needed a dozen chocolate donuts with sprinkles for Waverly because he needed to win her back.

“She broke up with you?” I asked, hoping upon hope that she finally had kicked the doofus to the curb.

“Yes! I can’t believe she said it was over! I’ve done nothing! I’ve been the best boyfriend…”

I tuned the child out then and went about filling his order with a cheeky grin on my face. Good for Waverly! It was about damn time, but I’d keep my fingers crossed that she’d start living for herself now that she was away from that chump.

Before I could tell the little punk what his total was, he shoved $20 at me and didn’t wait for his change, taking off out the door; the roses becoming collateral damage with petals prematurely falling off in his haste to get to Shorty’s. I doubled over laughing as I heard him shouting: “Waverly! Waverly! I’m sorry for whatever you think I did!” I was laughing so hard that I almost didn’t hear a patron enter the bakery.

“What in the holy hell was all that about?!” Gus inquired in a raised tone as she pointed out the window towards her bar.

“That would be Champ trying to get Waverly back after she broke up with him,” I chuckled and wiped the tears from my eyes.

“She broke up with him?!”

“Yup! And from his whining, I think it’s for good.”

“There is a God!” Gus stated raising her hands and looking up to the heavens before looking back to me. “I bet he got her chocolate donuts with sprinkles.”

“A dozen of them,” I affirmed and Gus shook her head in disgust.

“Whatever the final straw, I hope she uses that brain of hers and doesn’t take him back,” Gus commented as she approached the counter.

“I have a feeling that the break up will be permanent.”

“You sound incredibly sure of that, Sue.”

“Well, I believe Waverly’s realized that she can do much better,” I said cryptically, a little uncertain about venturing down that particular road with Waverly’s aunt.

“You’ve noticed that, too, haven’t you?”

“It’s been going on for the last couple of months now.”

“Pretty much since the moment Nicole Haught came to town,” Gus smiled.

“The feeling is very mutual. Nicole agonized for over two weeks about how to introduce herself to Waverly.”

“Really? Tell me everything you know.”

I spent the next half hour telling Gus all about the first time Nicole saw Waverly and how their relationship had developed over coffee and donuts. In turn, Gus told me about the shy smiles, the gentle touches, and the outright stares across the bar that Waverly and Nicole had given each other when they thought no one was looking.

“Do you think once the dust settles that those two will act on their feelings for one another?” I asked.

“I hope so, but if not, I’ll give Waverly a gentle push in the right direction.”

“Let me know if or when you do because I’ll give Nicole a nudge too.”


	3. The Oath of Honor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I am beyond humbled by the amount of comments and kudos for this story. Thank you all so much! <3

I wished I was a betting woman, because I would’ve put my entire life savings on Nicole and Waverly spending more time together than ever before after Waverly’s split from Champ that I’d be rolling in the dough (pardon the pun) now.

Waverly took to visiting my bakery every evening that she wasn’t working at Shorty’s and sat haunched over some ancient tomb or defunct newspaper doing “research” for the Black Badge Division. As to how information from the 1880s could help Deputy Marshall Dolls with an investigation over 125 years later, I had no idea, but that’s precisely why I’m a baker and not a member of law enforcement. Anyway, Nicole would come in after her shift ended and grab an apple fritter or a cappuccino while Waverly packed up her research to give Nicole her full attention when she claimed the seat across from her.

Their conversations were easy going and on more than one occasion I witnessed the accidental brush of fingers or hands that wasn’t exactly that accidental, but more of an excuse to have some type of physical contact with each other to deal with the sparks that were flying between them.

Despite the romantic air surrounding them, Nicole made sure to keep a lid on her feelings for Waverly and let the other woman set the pace of their relationship. She’d never touch Waverly first, but once Waverly initiated contact, Nicole wouldn’t hesitate in returning her touch.

I knew it wouldn’t be long before their friendship would turn into them becoming an actual couple which is why the events almost three weeks before Thanksgiving took me by surprise.

Waverly had come in that Friday afternoon asking for her usual caramel latte to go because she needed to drive into the city to buy supplies for the party she was throwing the next evening. She was extremely excited about it and I was absolutely thrilled for her since those who saw her other than an “Earp” were in short supply.

But when Nicole stepped into my bakery just after dinner time on Saturday night wearing her crisp, clean police uniform and requested a double mocha cappuccino to get her through an all nighter at the station, I was so shocked that I didn’t think before I spoke.

“You’re not going to Waverly’s party?”

The look of confusion on Nicole’s face and her subsequent question of, “Waverly’s having a party tonight?” sent my heart plummeting.

“Oh, Nicole, I’m so sorry,” I apologized.

“It’s alright, Sue,” she tried to reassure me, but the disappointment and hurt was already etched on her face.

“I just assumed that you knew since you two have been spending a lot of time together.”

“You’d think, right?” she said softly and turned her head to the side as she blinked back tears.

I made a promise right then and there that the next time I saw Waverly Earp I was going to give her a piece of my mind for making Nicole, sweet, thoughtful, totally amazing Nicole, cry.

Letting the saddened officer have a moment to herself, I turned around and busied myself with her order. I grabbed a couple of apple fritters and put them in a bag and set them on the counter next to her latte.

“Your order tonight’s on the house,” I said waving off her attempt to pay. I didn’t tell Nicole, but I was going to be seeking restitution from Waverly for the cappuccino and the apple fritters.

“Thank you.”

Nicole left with her head bowed and the sight made my blood boil even more. What in the blasted hell was Waverly thinking not inviting Nicole to her party? Needless to say, I was in a pissed off mood for the rest of that night.

Come late the next morning, I would experience a whole slew of emotions that had absolutely nothing to do with my being angry with Waverly Earp.

Gus flew into my shop around 10:00 AM, all of the color drained from her face, asking if I had seen either Wynonna or Officer Haught. Now, Gus was not a woman that could be shaken up easily. She’s been in Purgatory for just a few years less than I had and had dealt with more messed up shit than I could ever wrap my head around, so I instantly knew that something bad had happened.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“They’re missing. Nicole’s cruiser was found ten minutes south of here with the doors open and blood all over both seats. They were coming into town from the Homestead where Waverly’s party was crashed. The ones that crashed it murdered Stephanie Jones. Waverly killed one of them in self defense and the other two committed suicide,” Gus explained.

My stomach churned and I reached for the trash can just in time before my breakfast made a reappearance. “Is Waverly ok?” I choked out after wiping my mouth with a tissue from my pocket.

“Physically? All she has is a sore shoulder and wrist. Mentally? She’s a wreck already. I don’t know what will happen to her if she loses Wynonna and Nicole.”

My knees started buckling and the tears started falling uninhibited from my eyes. “Ah..umm…Let me know if you hear anything,” I some how managed to get out before I leaned against the counter to keep myself from passing out.

“Will do.”

After Gus left, my whole body was wracked with great sobs as I cried into my hands. I was almost glad that Nicole hadn’t been at Waverly’s party. It could have been her instead of Stephanie Jones. Don’t get me wrong, Stephanie’s death was a tragedy and I knew that her family would be devastated, but I thought of both Nicole and Waverly as my surrogate daughters. Their pain was my pain and to have Waverly go through what she had and with Nicole missing, it tore me apart.

Once I finally managed to compose myself, I took the trash can next to me to the dumpster, closed my shop, and headed over to Shorty’s for two fingers of bourbon.

I sat there for the next several hours nursing two more bourbons hoping to hear good news about Nicole. It came around three in the afternoon in the form of Waverly herself.

Upon seeing her enter the bar with her arm in a makeshift sling, I vacated my seat and made my way over to her. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying and her lip was quivering.

“Nicole’s ok,” she croaked out before the dam burst and she was crying once more.

Relief washed over me and I wrapped my arms gently around Waverly, giving both she and I some much needed comfort.

“They had to resuscitate her on site, but she’s awake now and talking.”

“Any word on Wynonna?” I asked and she shook her head no against my shoulder. “That sister of yours is a fighter. You know she’s giving ‘em hell,” I attempted to console.  
  
“I bet she is,” she stated and pulled back from me to wipe her eyes.

“Have you seen Nicole yet?” I questioned, keeping a gentle hand on her uninjured shoulder.

“Yeah, I left the hospital just a little bit ago. I’m being tasked with doing research to find out who took her and Wynonna since my damn arm is keeping me sidelined. I actually need to grab a book that I left here and get back to the station,” she sniffed.

“I won't keep you any longer. I’m glad that you and Nicole are ok.”

“Thank you, Sue.” She gave me a small, watery smile before she disappeared up the stairs.

Knowing that Nicole was out of harms way, I finished off the last swig of my bourbon, paid my tab, and made my way back to my bakery. I never reopened. Instead, I opted to keep myself occupied by tidying up the back room while the alcohol made its way out of my system.

By 6:45 PM, I had completely closed the bakery down for the night, eaten a light dinner, and was making my way down the sterile smelling hallways of the hospital to Nicole’s room.

When I arrived at my destination, I peeked through the crack in the partially closed door. Nicole was half reclined on the bed with her head turned to the left like she was looking out the window. I had no idea if she was awake or asleep, but I entered the room quietly anyway.

When I was halfway to her, I could tell by the slow rise and fall of her chest that she had been asleep for awhile and as I reached her bedside, I could finally take stock of her injuries.

She had a gash above her left eye that was being held together by small, thin strips of medical tape and a bandage crisscrossed around her right hand. The straight, bright red line about three inches long that stained the starched white dressing across her palm made me exhale a breath that I didn’t realize I had been holding. With Gus’ report of blood all over the cruiser, I was expecting much worse.

I walked around to the other side of Nicole’s hospital bed and took a seat in the provided chair. She looked peaceful in her sleep, but I knew the second she woke, she’d be anything but.

Her physical wounds would heal in a matter of a couple of weeks, but the psychological trauma of being kidnapped and left for dead would take a little longer to work through. As I contemplated Nicole’s recovery, I missed her stirring awake until she spoke.

“Sue?” she asked. Her voice was gravelly and she coughed a few times before silently asking for some water.

“Hey, Kiddo,” I replied and handed her the clear plastic jug of water that was sitting on the end table next to me.

She took a few sips before handing it back to me. “How long have you been sitting there?” she questioned sounding more like herself.

“Not long. I brought you an apple fritter,” I smiled while I held up a bag with the bakery logo on it for her to see then set it on her bed.

“Thank you.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Like shit. Have they found Wynonna yet?”

“I don’t know. The last I heard anything was a few hours ago and Waverly said that she was doing research.”

“Waverly…,” Nicole trailed off sadly. “She must hate me.”

“Why in the world would she hate you?” I asked confused.

“I failed her! I let her sister get kidnapped!” Nicole yelled angrily. “I’m supposed to serve and protect people! That’s my job and I screwed it up! The only family that Waverly has left and I didn’t stop that man from taking her!”

“Nicole, I have absolutely no doubt that you did everything you could to keep Wynonna safe. Waverly could never hate you for that,” I tried to reassure her.

“If Wynonna dies, it won’t matter! She’ll always view me as the one that was there and couldn’t save her sister! She’ll resent me!” Nicole cried.

“She won’t resent you. Waverly is well versed in knowing that sometimes we can't control the shit that happens no matter how much we wish we could.”

“So, what? She’s just supposed to suck it up?!”

“No. I’m telling you to suck it up. You and Wynonna were both kidnapped and you tried your damnedest to prevent that. Just look at your right hand. Look at it,” I directed in a stern voice when she refused to look down.

After a moment, she brought her hand up to her face and looked at the blood soaked bandage.

“You fought. That’s all that will matter to Waverly. You did your job. You fought to protect her sister.”

I knew my words had finally sunk in when Nicole lowered her hand, closed her eyes, and took a shaky breath. She stayed like that for a few minutes then opened her eyes to look at me.

“Thank you, Sue.”

“Anytime, Nicole. Now, eat your apple fritter,” I ordered and she smiled just a little before opening the bag.

It wasn’t until mid afternoon the next day that I found out that Wynonna was found relatively unharmed when she and Waverly walked into the bakery.

Waverly was arguing with Wynonna, trying to get her to stop vividly describing how her left toe was crushed by the “dude” that kidnapped her. It took the threat of me refusing to let her or anyone on her behalf purchase any powdered sugar donuts ever again to get her to shut up.

Waverly thanked me and smiled broadly before she proceeded to order a Boston creme for herself and an apple fritter for Nicole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there will be more Wayhaught in the next chapter!  
> ; )


	4. Police Business?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wayhaught, as promised! ; ) <3

Over the next two weeks while she was supposed to be recuperating, Nicole would “accidentally” run into Waverly at the bakery at 1:00 PM every other day and the two of them would chat away over coffee.

I say accidentally because one of them always made it a point to mention how it was “nice to bump into each other” or say “great minds think alike” when they spotted the other at the counter. They had never acted this way in all the months they had met at the bakery before, but after the third time it occurred, I just shook my head and went along with it. Maybe it was just them not wanting to label their meetings as dates, but from my vantage point, dates is exactly what they were.

Whatever word that you wished to use to describe Waverly and Nicole frequently drinking coffee together, it was nice to see Nicole in such high spirits after her harrowing ordeal. Her rich laugh was like music to my ears since I had thought it would take a long time before I would ever hear it again. I shouldn’t have been surprised though. Waverly Earp was the epitome of a blanket of sunshine and Nicole had wrapped herself tightly up in it.

On the morning Nicole returned to work, she stopped in to get her usual mocha cappuccino and an apple fritter to help her focus on the looming report she had to write about her abduction. We talked for a moment and I gave her a hug of encouragement before I sent her on her way. I had a feeling that I’d see her again, but I wasn’t expecting it to be before lunch.

“Everything ok, Nicole?” I asked concerned when I saw her frown.

“No,” she sighed heavily as she took off her Stetson.

“Want to talk about it?”

“I basically just got called crazy by Nedley and then I fought with Waverly.”

“Ok. Back up a bit. One thing at a time. What happened with Nedley?”

“He thought my report about my abduction was a bunch of bunk. I can’t help it if the guy was Jack the Ripper. It was hard enough for me to actually put what happened to me into words and then to have it dismissed like that...It hurt.” She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath before opening her eyes and continuing. “You’ve lived in Purgatory your entire life. Please tell me that you’ve noticed the strange and unusual things that go on here.” Her voice was pleading.

“Yes, I have.”

“Really? You’re not just trying to humor me?”

“No. I’m giving you validation. You’re not crazy, Nicole. There are things that happen in Purgatory that defy explanation.”

“Thank you! Finally someone that tells me the damn truth!” she exclaimed waving a hand in the air.

“So where does your fight with Waverly come in?”

“Nedley pissed me off so I thought I’d get out of the station for a bit to cool off and I ran into her as I was leaving. I tried talking to her about how weird Purgatory is and well, I think we were talking about different things. I’m still confused as to what unicorns have to do with lesbians,” she screwed her face up at that before she continued, “but it almost sounded like she was making fun of me. I don’t know. She probably wasn’t, but I was already too upset to stand there in the cold trying to figure it out.”

“Dear, I haven’t the foggiest idea about the unicorns, but I definitely think you two were talking about two entirely different things.”

“You do?” she asked hopefully.

“Yes,” I confirmed with a nod of my head. “I’d try talking to her again, though I’d start with an apology before diving into a discussion about Purgatory’s eccentric attributes,” I advised with a smile.

“Thanks, Sue,” she smiled back. She then proceeded to put on her Stetson, purchase an apple fritter to go, and give me a wave goodbye before she left the bakery.

Over the next couple of hours, I had my usual lunchtime crowd come in seeking their afternoon coffees, but no sooner had they left than Waverly entered my shop looking extremely upset.

“Gus is selling the bar!” she cried before I even had a chance to ask her what was wrong. “How could she do this to me? What am I supposed to do now? Where am I going to work? It won’t be Shorty’s anymore! I already lost him and Uncle Curtis and now I’ll lose something else that means so much to me! Yeah, I know it’s a just a bar, but I practically grew up there. It’s basically my home! More so than the Homestead ever was or probably ever could be! Without it, I don’t know what I’m going to do! What do I do Sue? Please tell me what to do!” she rattled off in one long, voice breaking whine.

“Take a seat, Dear, and I’ll get you a latte,” I said while pointing to a booth.

She nodded her head and wiped at her eyes as she turned around and did as I instructed.

After I finished her beverage, I sat down opposite her and reached across the table to put her drink down in front of her before I settled into my seat. “Are you sure Gus is selling the bar?” I asked after a moment.

“Yeah, pretty sure,” Waverly answered with her head bowed, cupping both of her hands around the coffee cup. “She was looking at papers some real estate agent brought over during lunch.”

“Change doesn’t automatically mean something bad, Waverly,” I spoke softly.

“I know. It’s just that there’s been too much change lately and not all of it’s bad. I did break it off with Champ for good this time.”

“Wynonna came back and it looks like she’s going to be sticking around for awhile,” I offered as another example.

“Yeah, it’s nice to have her back.”

“One change I can’t get over is that your sister’s a deputy for Black Badge,” I shook my head.

“I know, right! Who would have thought?”

“Not me. When Gus first told me that Wynonna had a legitimate badge, I laughed at her outright thinking she was pulling my leg. But, I have to admit, Wynonna’s a pretty good deputy.”

“Yes, she is,” Waverly agreed, but I caught an undercurrent of jealousy.

“You know what else has changed that isn't bad?” I asked, changing the subject.

“What?”

“Officer Haught moving to our peculiar little town,” I said and managed not to smile outwardly when Waverly’s cheeks tinged a deep shade of pink.

“Yes,” she murmured then immediately took a sip of her coffee in order to hide behind her cup, however brief it may be, before switching the subject off Nicole. “I just have this feeling that if Gus sells the bar, my whole world will come tumbling down.”

“Playing Devil’s Advocate here, but couldn’t this be the best thing to happen to you? Is it possible that you are using the sentimental value of the bar as a crutch to keep yourself from exploring other avenues?”

Waverly stayed silent and took another drink of her latte. I took that as my cue and got up from the table. As I left to take my place behind the counter once again, I gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Waverly stayed for another ten minutes finishing off her latte while tracing odd patterns with her index finger on the table top in front of her. She returned my cup and said both a thank you and a goodbye in the same, heavy sigh.

My heart went out to her. It really did, but something in me told me that even if Gus sold the bar, it wouldn’t keep Waverly Earp down.

The rest of my day proceeded without incident and I closed down the bakery before heading over to Shorty’s for a drink and a chat with Gus.

She told me that she didn’t want to run a bar for the rest of her life or at least that was what she had explained to Waverly and Wynonna. Gus knew that her nieces had a lot on their plates with Black Badge business and didn’t want to add to it by telling them that since Curtis’ death, money had been tight.

“Waverly would insist upon doing all sorts of fundraisers or try to convince people around here to come help out at the farm. She’d mean well, she always does, but I want my business to stay just that,” Gus explained.

“I understand. I had a rough go of it when Jacob passed. I ended up borrowing against the house to stay afloat,” I said and knocked back the rest of my bourbon.

“I thought about doing that, but selling this place would be the better option and as an added bonus, I’ll have more than enough money to cover my bills and cut Waverly a check. That girl needs to know that she has more options in this life than what Purgatory has to offer.”

“I pretty much told her that this afternoon. She came in all upset about you selling this place. She feels that her whole world will come crashing down if you do.”

“Maybe I should give her that push towards Nicole too. You should have seen them making eyes at each other in here a few days ago,” Gus laughed and poured me another bourbon.

“Hopefully, Nicole will apologize for their little misunderstanding they had this morning and then I can give her that push too.”

“What misunderstanding?”

I took a drink before explaining exactly what happened in my shop with Nicole.

“So that’s why Waverly was all huffy when she came into work today. She claimed Wynonna pissed her off but I didn't believe her. We all know Wynonna is Wynonna.”

“Yes, we do,” I agreed. “I’ll give Nicole a day or two and then I’ll use my powers of persuasion to get her to do something about her relationship with Waverly.”

With Gus having sold the bar, I was positive that Nicole would have apologized to Waverly for her outburst the other day and would be in the bakery now, comforting her with a caramel latte and a Boston creme, but I was wrong. Neither one of them had come in and I was getting a little concerned about it.

It was late afternoon on the fourth day of not seeing the prospective love birds when I made the decision to close the shop early and go in search of the elusive Nicole just to make sure that everything was ok.

I bagged up all the trash and headed out to the dumpster in the alleyway behind the bakery to throw it away when something caught my eye that made me stop dead in my tracks. Well, it was actually two somethings. One of which was Waverly Earp and the other, Nicole Haught.

Waverly had Nicole backed up against the building behind her with Nicole’s right leg hooked over her thigh. Nicole’s Stetson hung from her left hand that was possessively attached around Waverly’s waist and her right hand was full of brunette colored hair while the two of them engaged in such a passionate kiss that I swore it was melting the snow on the ground around them.

Finally! I thought and a wide smile broke out on my face. But when I heard a deep, pleasurable moan and saw Nicole’s hand make its way out of Waverly’s hair and come down to squeeze her rounded backside, I decided that I better high tail it out of there to give the two of them some much needed privacy.

I turned and shut the door behind me as quietly as I could even though I was pretty sure that a bomb could have gone off and neither one of them would have noticed. Smiling, I left the bag of trash in the hallway and said a silent thank you to whatever had happened to bring this new development about as I made my way back to the front counter.

Not more than five minutes later, Gus entered the bakery in search of Waverly, who she had sent to get her a pastry a half hour before, but she hadn’t returned yet.

“She was out in the alley a little while ago,” I motioned behind me, “but when I saw her, she was rather indisposed,” I grinned.

“What the hell is she doing in the alley?” Gus frowned.

“Well, from what I saw, she was playing a very spirited game of tonsil hockey with Nicole.”

Gus’ eyes went wide before her lips turned up into a wide smile. “OOOHHHHH! Hot Damn!” she hooted happily. “It’s about time! I swear if I had to go another day watching them dance around their feelings for each other, I was going to ask you to lock them in the back room and not let them out until they got together!”

“I was thinking about doing that myself,” I agreed.

“Great minds think alike,” she said and we both laughed.

We stood there chatting for a few minutes before Waverly came in practically skipping with a love drunk smile on her face, her lipstick smudged, and her hair messed up. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing when she realized that her aunt was in the bakery.

“Gus? W-W-What are you doing here?” Waverly stuttered.

“I came to get my pastry,” Gus answered after turning to face her niece.

“Oh, yeah! I’m so sorry about that! Nic- Officer Haught needed my assistance!”

“With what?”

The classic deer caught in headlights look crossed Waverly’s features and I bit my lip harder to keep my laugh from escaping.

“Oh, you know, she needed my help with…with a case she’s working on. I can’t tell you because it’s police business and she’s a cop and I could get in trouble if I told anyone and you know that I’m not like Wynonna who acts without thinking of the consequences first and yeah…,” she rambled off and then flashed a very Waverly smile.

“Riiiight,” Gus agreed then turned to face me and I had to grab a tissue to cover my face when Gus rolled her eyes. “Could I have a cherry and cheese pastry to go?” she asked me.

“Sure,” I stated and turned to wash my hands, finally able to chuckle softly to myself.

I filled Gus’ order and had just handed it to her when Nicole picked that precise moment to enter the bakery. I watched as her eyes darted from Waverly to Gus then to myself and back to Waverly again. The two of them shared a silent conversation for a moment before Nicole took her Stetson off and approached the counter giving us all a blanket greeting with her signature dimples making an appearance.

“So, Officer Haught, did Waverly here give you what you needed?” Gus questioned.

I still don’t know how she could have said that with a straight face when I had to bite my tongue hard enough to draw blood to stifle the hardy laugh that threatened to erupt from me.

Nicole’s eyes went wide with shock and her cheeks burned the color of Ronald McDonald’s hair. “What?” she managed to ask, her voice high and squeaky.

“The case you’re working on. Waverly said she helped you,” Gus provided.

“Ummm, yeah…Yes!,” Nicole’s voice squeaked again before she cleared her throat. “Yes, Mrs. McCreedy, Waverly was a tremendous help with my case.”

It was a good five seconds before Gus replied with, “Glad to hear it.”

Nicole visibly relaxed at that and smiled thinking she was in the clear until Gus spoke again.

“Though, next time you require Waverly’s assistance, you should really take her out for a meal instead of conducting your police business in an alley,” Gus said with a smile and a wink to Nicole.

The looks of shock and embarrassment on both Nicole and Waverly’s faces was priceless and I couldn't contain my laughter anymore.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Nicole agreed sheepishly.

“Good girl,” Gus patted her shoulder. “Come on, Waverly, we have work to do.”

Waverly gave a long look to Nicole, the blush on her cheeks the same shade of red as the officer’s, and then smiled shyly and waved goodbye before following Gus out the door.

Nicole watched them go then turned back to me and put her head in her hands. “Oh my god. That was embarrassing,” she groaned.

“Look on the bright side, Kiddo,” I chuckled. “Gus wouldn’t be teasing you if she didn’t approve of you being with Waverly.”

“You really think she’s ok with it?” Nicole asked disbelievingly after dropping her hands back to her sides.

“Yes. Her and I have been wondering for weeks when you two would finally get together,” I smiled.

“You were?!”

“We were on the verge of locking you two in a room together until you figured it out,” I said, then couldn't help prying. “So, when did it happen?”

“Yesterday at the station while Nedley was at Shorty’s for happy hour,” she grinned at the memory.

“Nicole- if I knew your middle name, I'd say it- Haught! At the station?!” I questioned extremely surprised that she’d choose her place of work to tell Waverly how she felt about her and not somewhere more private.

“Hey! It wasn’t my idea!” she said putting both of her hands in the air in defense, “Waves was the one that went into Nedley’s office and started shutting the blinds. I followed her and tried to ask what her problem was and she just started kissing me.”

“Waverly did that?” I asked then thought a second and answered my own question before Nicole could say anything. “Well, when Waverly sets her mind to do something, you better watch out,” I smiled.

“I’m beginning to realize that,” Nicole stated with a shy smile.

“Let me guess, it was her idea to duck into the alley today?” My answer came in the form of Nicole’s cheeks turning pink. “You’re already head over heels, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head with a smile. “I think I fell hard for her the moment I first saw her. I can’t believe that she wants to be with me. It almost seems too good to be true, you know? Like I’m going to wake up and realize it’s all been a dream.”

“Dear, from what I saw, I can tell you that it's very real. If it wasn’t, I should check myself into the looney bin for dreaming about you and Waverly canoodling in the alleyway behind my bakery,” I said and made Nicole laugh.

“Well, if that happens, I’ll still come and visit you.”

“Thank you,” I laughed. “Now, can I get you an apple fritter or a cappuccino?”

“Both would be nice and could I get the large cappuccino? It’s getting cold out and I have to walk the beat around town here in a bit.”

“Sure, Kiddo.”

I made her drink first before getting the apple fritter and setting it on the counter in front of the young officer.

“Hey, do you know of any place nice to eat in the city?” Nicole asked as she reached into her pocket for some money to pay for her order.

“How nice are we talking about? Dressed to the nines kind of nice?”

“As much as I’d like to do that, that would draw too much attention to us. Waverly wants to fly under the radar for awhile and I respect that, but I also want to take her out and show her a good time. She deserves to be treated right even if we’re not public yet.”

If I hadn't thought that Nicole was perfect for Waverly already, this would have been the thing to push me into believing it.

“Try Rick’s on the corner of Blaine and American. I think it’s just the place you're looking for,” I said as I handed her change to her.

“Thank you, Sue. I owe you one,” Nicole stated with a dimpled smile.

“You're welcome, Kiddo.”


	5. Undercover Dates

Due to a couple of officers having come down with the flu, Nicole was forced to work overtime and it was ten very long and frustrating days before she could take Waverly out on their very first date as a couple.

Nicole’s plan was to meet at the bakery and from there, she’d drive them into the city. I thought her idea was a good one and assured her that meeting each other at a public place that they both visited on a regular basis wouldn't arouse any suspicions if anyone saw them together since most of my patrons had seen them chatting at one time or another.

I still remember that goofy dimpled grin Nicole had as she walked into my shop on the evening of her date. She was dressed in light colored blue jeans with a black blouse under a black leather jacket that highlighted her red hair, which had been let out of its usual plait and hung down to dust over her shoulders.  
  
“Wow, you clean up nice,” I smiled causing her to blush slightly.

“Thank you. It took me forever to figure out what to wear. I didn't want to be too dressed up, but I also didn't want to be too casual either.”

“You look perfect, though, you could be wearing a pair of old sweatpants and a moth eaten shirt and Waverly would still want to go out with you,” I said and made her laugh.

“I don’t know about that, but she’s been texting me non stop today about how excited she is for our date,” she admitted.

“I bet. And how are we feeling about this date?”

“Ecstatic and a bundle of nerves. She’s the girl of my dreams and I don’t want to screw this up.”

“You’re not going to screw this up,” I reassured. “I know that you’ll stop at nothing to make sure Waverly has an amazing night.”

“All I want is for her to be happy.”

Just as I was about to reply, the bell above the door rattled loudly and cut me off.

“Sue, I need a sugar rush! Like yesterday!” Wynonna barked as she stormed her way up to the counter.

“Shit!” Nicole whispered while cringing with her eyes closed.

“Oh, hey, Haughtstuff! Damn! You look smokin’! You have a hot date or something?” Wynonna asked with a wink and a nudge to Nicole’s ribs.

All I could do was stand there with my mouth half open wondering how in the hell such a great plan managed to get so bungled up. Then I remembered that this was Purgatory and nothing, not even the simple idea of Waverly and Nicole meeting up at the bakery, could have the slightest chance of going right.

“Hi, Wynonna,” Nicole tried to smile at the woman, but I knew it was to hide a grimace. “No. No date.”

“Then what are you all dressed up for?”

Over the years, there had been plenty of times where I had wanted to throttle Wynonna Earp, but no time did I ever want to do it more that right then. Instead of a night that was supposed to be one of the best nights of Nicole’s life, it was rapidly turning into a train wreck of epic proportions.

“I’m..uhh..going undercover!” Nicole practically shouted in her haste to answer the question.

I closed my eyes then and missed the confused frown that I knew was going to be on Wynonna’s face.

“I thought you said yesterday that you had the night off tonight?”

“Ummm, yeah, I was supposed to but Nedley called me in.”

“Freaking Nedley! You just came off working all that overtime cause Dimwit 1 and Dimwit 2 decided to get the flu!”

“Yeah, yeah I know. Freaking Nedley,” Nicole fake grumbled.

As if on cue, I heard the bell ring again and man the women had been talking about entered the bakery.

“Shit,” I swore silently. I had forgotten all about Nedley having called in his coffee order ten minutes before Nicole arrived so it would be already to go when he got here.

“Yo, Nedley! Why are you sending Haughtpants here undercover? Why can’t one of the other nitwits on staff do it?” Wynonna growled jerking her thumb towards Nicole.

Oh, that poor man! He looked so confused! At almost the same time, Nicole and I both gestured to him that Wynonna had been drinking.

“Well..the situation called for it,” Nedley responded in his usual gruffness that signaled his ending of the discussion.

Nicole and I both mouthed a thank you to him before he asked if his coffee was ready. I was in the process of getting him his change when the bell rang for a third time. I looked up to see Waverly enter and my heart plummeted at the look that crossed her features.

“Baby girl! What are you doing here? You said you couldn't help me with research because you were helping Gus clean.”

Once I heard Wynonna say this, I took back my earlier statement. Right at that precise moment was when I wanted to wring that woman’s neck the most.

“I-I-I am,” Waverly stuttered.

“You sweep and dust wearing a skirt and heels?” Wynonna pointed to her sister’s attire of three inch black heels with a deep purple skirt and a white blouse that showed a hint of her midriff every time she moved under a fashionable black coat.

Waverly was floundering trying to come up with a way out of her predicament when Nedley spoke up and asked for his change. I could have kissed that man for the momentary distraction he provided Waverly. I gave him back his money and told him to have a good night. He politely nodded his head to me then gave the other three women a raised eyebrow before leaving the shop.

“You’re not really helping Gus clean, are you, Waves?” Wynonna accused.

“Wynonna...,” Waverly trailed off.

“Geeze, Waves, the best thing you can come up with is to say my name?”

I couldn't take any more of Waverly’s suffering and decided to step in and try to salvage the night for her and Nicole. “I told Waverly to lie to you.”

As soon as I said it, I had three pair of eyes looking at me in disbelief.

“What?” Wynonna questioned with her face all scrunched up.

“I’m sorry, Waverly, but we need to come clean. I can’t have her mad at you.”

“O-Ok,” Waverly agreed, but I could tell she was worried about what I was going to say.  
  
“Wynonna, Waverly came in here a few days ago and was upset about all the recent changes in her life. It’s all just been too stressful on her so I suggested she get out and go spend sometime alone to destress. I told her to tell you that she was going to help Gus clean because I knew you’d stay away and wouldn't discover she wasn't there,” I fibbed with a basis of fact.

“Is this true, Baby girl?” Wynonna asked and placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Yes,” Waverly confirmed.

“You know you could have just told me what was bothering you. You didn't have to lie.”

“I know, but with everything going on…I didn't want to let you down.” Waverly’s eyes started to get teary and Wynonna pulled her into a hug.

“You could never let me down, Waves.”

Nicole looked at me then and gave me a silent thank you and I nodded my head in acknowledgment.

The two sisters conversed for a moment longer before Wynonna asked, or rather, demanded a full dozen powdered sugar donuts that I was only too happy to get her.

After making Waverly promise to call her if she needed anything, Wynonna practically skipped out of my bakery, finally leaving Nicole and Waverly to greet each other properly.

“You look beautiful,” Nicole complimented with a smile as she admired Waverly.

“Thank you. You look beautiful, too,” Waverly smiled back.

As adorable as it was watching the two of them stand there blushing at each other, I was worried that someone else would come along and postpone their date further.

“How about you two exit out the back so no one sees you?” I suggested to them.

“That would be perfect. Thank you, Sue,” Waverly stated without taking her eyes off of Nicole.

It took another round of shy looks before Nicole motioned for Waverly to make her way behind the counter first.

“Have a good time,” I said once both women were on their way down the hall.

They both turned and gave me a smile with a wave then continued to the back door. Just before Nicole pushed it open, she dropped a sweet kiss onto Waverly’s lips.

Not wanting to intrude upon their moment, I busied myself with cleaning the front counter. It took about a minute before I heard the door to the alley open and I couldn't stop my grin even if I tried.

The next morning, Nicole entered the bakery dressed in her uniform looking as happy as a clam.

“Officer Haught, what’s put the spring in your step this early in the day?” I smiled.

“Waverly Earp,” she said with a dreamy sigh. “Dinner last night couldn't have been more perfect. Thank you so much suggesting Rick’s and for helping us out with Wynonna.”

“You’re most welcome. I’m happy to hear that your date went so well. I’m assuming there will be another one.”

“You assume correct. I’m taking her out again Friday night.”

“Ohh, two dates in less than a week. Things really are going well between you two.”

“I've never felt like this before, not even with the serious girlfriend I had back in college. Waverly’s such an amazing, compassionate person. She’s funny, extremely intelligent, and incredibly beautiful inside and out,” she gushed.

It was obvious that the rookie officer was more than just smitten with the youngest Earp, but I held back on saying anything about it yet.

“That she is. So what do you have planned for Friday?”

“I thought maybe we’d grab dinner at the Greek restaurant down the street from Rick’s since Wave mentioned that she wanted to try it and then go see a movie.”

“That sounds like fun. I’m sure Waverly will appreciate you paying attention enough to choose a restaurant that she wants to try.”

Nicole smiled before she became serious. “I know that I might not always understand or agree, but one thing I will always do is treat Waverly Earp with respect.”

“I believe you will,” I agreed with a smile and patted her hand.

Over the course of the next four mornings, Waverly and Nicole would alternate coming into the bakery and get a coffee and a pastry item for the other. On Friday, it was Waverly’s turn and she entered the shop with a giddy grin on her face.

“Hello, Sue! Today is such a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

After I had shoveled the four heavy inches of snow that had fallen during the early morning hours off the sidewalk and made a pathway to the dumpster all the while slipping on the icy patches left by the light drizzle that had come before it, I didn’t think it was such a glorious morning. But I had agreed with Waverly anyway so as to not burst her bubble since the day was an important one for her.

“The sun is beginning to peek out from behind the clouds. It’s going to look so pretty shinning on the untouched patches of snow.”

“I’m sure it will.”

“What would be even better is gazing at the snow under the light of the stars in Nicole’s arms,” she stated with a far off look in her eyes.

I had to grin then myself. Waverly Earp was completely enamored with Nicole Haught. “If it’s not too cold out after your movie, maybe you could take a walk past the park down the street from the cinema,” I suggested.

“Oh, Sue! That would be perfect!” she squealed in delight.

We chatted for a few more minutes about her date while I filled her order for two when Deputy Marshall Dolls entered the bakery, greeted us both with a nod, and gave me his order.

“I hope both of those coffees are for you. We have a lot to do today and I need you sharp, no distractions,” he spoke to Waverly. “If you give me that, I’ll make sure Wynonna’s occupied for the rest of the evening.”

The man never smiled, but one pulled at the corners of his mouth when Waverly’s mouth went slack.

“Deal,” she accepted with a broad smile a second later. “One more caramel latte please, Sue.”

“You got it,” I stated and quickly processed the Deputy Marshall’s transaction before I started on Waverly’s second coffee.  
  
“Hey, Sue?” Waverly asked a couple of minutes after the Deputy Marshall left.

“Yeah?” I called over my shoulder.

“Since Dolls is going to keep Wynonna busy tonight, would you mind too much if I had Nicole pick me up at the Homestead instead of us meeting here?”

When I turned around with her latte, I could tell she was nervous by the way she bit her lip and played with her hands.

“Dear, I think having Nicole pick you up at the Homestead is a much better choice. It will be a lot more private and romantic that way,” I smiled and winked at her.

“Do you think she’d be ok with that?”

“I most certainly do,” I replied and handed her beverage to her while telling her to enjoy her evening before she went to work.  
  
The face splitting grin that was plastered on Waverly’s face the next morning was proof enough that the date had gone well, but I asked her anyway.

“It was incredible! Absolutely incredible!” she sighed dreamily. “She’s so caring, attentive, and romantic. During the movie, she kept trying to decide between holding my hand and putting her arm around my shoulder. It was so cute when she brushed her fingers over mine and then started to apologize, but I quickly laced our fingers together before she could. And our walk to the park was amazing. I could get very used to being with her like that.”

“Does that scare you?” I asked, having picked up on the slight waver in her voice.

“Yeah, a little…Well, a lot actually,” she admitted with lowered eyes.

“Why?”

“Because I never felt even half as much for Champ as I do for Nicole,” she started then looked up at me, “We had been together for years, but I’ve only been with Nicole for two weeks. Is it too soon to be feeling like this?”

“Emotions don't own calendars, Kiddo. There isn't a set timeline for when we are supposed to feel certain things for someone. What may be “too soon” for someone else doesn’t mean it’s too soon for you,” I counseled. “But if you really wish to count the days, then at least be honest with yourself. You’ve had feelings for Nicole for months, not just these past two weeks.” When I finished, a thoughtful look took residence upon Waverly’s face. “Follow your heart, Waverly. It won't steer you wrong.”

She smiled at me then and proceeded to order an apple fritter and a mocha cappuccino to surprise Nicole with.


	6. Misgivings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. It's been a busy week for me! I'm on Twitter now @BanishingShadws if you'd like to follow my shenanigans!

I didn't see Waverly much due to Black Badge needing her, but Nicole stopped in every morning. She had to alter her usual order to include Wynonna after that first morning when the woman threw a fit at the poor officer when she witnessed Waverly receiving her coffee.

A quick lie about Waverly having called her order in and Nicole happening to be at the bakery and offering to bring it to the station for her pacified the elder Earp, but Nicole knew that they wouldn't be able to come up with something plausible the next time Wynonna became suspicious.

It was Friday, the day of the Poker Spectacular, that I noticed Nicole not acting like her cheery self. She walked around the event with her shoulders slumped and a look of apprehension on her face that I knew had absolutely nothing to do with any potential problems that could arise from the mixture of booze and gambling.

“Officer Haught,” I called to her as she made her fourth pass of my booth without saying a word to me.

She looked around startled before spotting me. “Oh, hi, Sue,” she greeted without her usual smile.

“What’s wrong?”

“What?” she asked like she hadn't heard me.

“You look like a bundle of nerves.”

“I got a lot on my mind.”

I remained silent, grabbed an apple fritter, and held it out to her. She visibly sighed, but took the fritter and started to eat while she surveyed the room.

She ate the whole thing before she spoke, her eyes still trained on the action in front of her. “What do you remember about Willa Earp?”

“Willa?” I asked, taken aback. Whatever I thought she’d say, I never expected it to be about Willa.

Nicole turned toward me and nodded her head before looking back to the gamblers.

“Willa was kidnapped from the homestead when she was thirteen the same night Ward died. There were numerous county wide searches, but they never found her.”

“How’d she treat Waverly?” Nicole questioned through clenched teeth.

“That girl was an arrogant, angry and spiteful bully. She was seven years older than Waverly so you can bet that Waverly took the brunt of her abuse,” I stated and watched as the good natured officer’s face turned up into a sneer and her hands balled into fists. “Nicole, Willa’s dead. She can never hurt Waverly again,” I tried to console.

“I don’t know about that,” she growled.

Her words chilled me to the bone. “What’s going on, Nicole?”

“Willa’s back.”

“Back? What do you mean she’s back?”

“She’s alive, Sue. Dolls confirmed that it’s her this morning. And…she’s at the homestead with Waverly,” she told me looking me straight in the eye.

My eyes closed at the same time my stomach dropped and I blindly put a hand on the table in front of me to keep myself upright. I couldn't believe it. Willa was not only alive, but she had already been reunited with her sisters.

I knew I didn't have all of the details about how everything went down, but I immediately became concerned for Waverly’s wellbeing. It would be difficult for anyone to process their presumed dead sister showing up 16 years later, but for Waverly, having a sister that tormented you the way Willa had would cause those bad memories to come flooding back. And judging by Nicole’s behavior, she had been witness to that already.

“How’s Waverly?” I asked as I finally opened my eyes.

“One minute she’s crying and telling me about all these horrible things Willa did to her and in the next, she’s trying to tell me she’s happy to have her back and then she’s back to crying again. I really didn't want to leave her and come to this thing. I wanted to stay and comfort her, but she pushed me away. She told me not to worry, that she could take care of this herself then bolted from my home. I feel so helpless because everything I tried to do or say didn't work,” Nicole said defeated.

“She needs to deal with all of this in her own way, whatever that way may be, but you aren't helpless in all of this, Nicole, even if it might seem like it. All you need to do is let her know that you're there for her if or when she needs you.”

“How do I do that when she runs away from me?”

“You don't need to physically be with her to let her know that you’re there. Sometimes the smallest of things gets the point across more than some grand gesture.”

A thoughtful frown swept onto Nicole’s face and another question was poised on her lips, but she never got to ask it. Two of the poker players got into a shouting match and it escalated into a brawl before Nicole could make it halfway there.

In a blink of an eye, Officer Haught had the fight broken up and was slapping the cuffs on one of the men that was stupid enough to try and take a swing at her with a broken beer bottle. As she walked him towards the exit, I smiled with pride as she passed by me.

My Saturday morning was just as busy as usual which is why I didn't have the opportunity to chat with Nicole other than when I took her order. She hadn't heard anything from Waverly since the previous morning despite leaving a “thinking of you” voice mail after she finished her paperwork from the arrest she made during the Poker Spectacular. She left looking just as glum as she did when she had arrived.

She came back to the bakery after her shift ended and I discovered that her mood had only gotten worse when I saw the worry on her face.

“Did Waves stop in today?” she asked hopefully.

“No, but I saw her and Wynonna walking down the street towards the center of town around 3:30. Ten minutes later, she’s speeding by here in her red jeep heading towards the homestead.”

“Well, at least she was with Wynonna and not alone with Willa,” Nicole sighed heavily.

“Have you met Willa yet?”

“Have I met her? Yes, but when I did, she went by the name Eve. She was part of the group of runaways that Wynonna and Dolls brought in. She knew nothing of her past then, but when I last talked to Waverly, Willa was starting to remember things.”

“You really don't want to get to know her as Willa though, do you?”

“No…but if Waverly asked me to, I would. Family is important to her,” she finished with lowered eyes.

“It’s possible that the Willa that returned isn't the Willa of the past.”

“Maybe. I guess time will tell if-” She never got to finish her statement due to her phone ringing.

I watched as she reached into her pocket and checked the caller ID. Judging by the smile that made her dimples pop out, I knew it was Waverly. I smiled myself and moved off to the side to give her some semblance of privacy, though I could still hear her end of the conversation.

“Hey Baby…What’s wrong?...What?....What do you mean you were shot?!”

My head snapped up at those words and my heart immediately went into my throat. Waverly had been shot? My knees started to shake and I held my breath as I continued to listen.

“Waverly! I’m coming over right now!” Nicole shouted and started towards the door, but stopped just before she reached it. “What do you mean that I can’t come over?!...I don't give a shit! He can charge me with treason for all I care! You were shot!...It doesn't matter if it’s just a graze! A bullet still hit you and made you bleed!...Waverly! Waverly!” Nicole dropped the phone from her ear and just stood there unmoving.

“Nicole? What’s going on?” I asked on the verge of throwing up. It took a moment for her to turn around, but when she did, I saw her face stained with tears.

“Someone put a hit out on Dolls and tried to carry it out while he was at the homestead. Waverly was grazed by a bullet,” she answered.

“Is she ok? Is she at the hospital?”

“She says she’s fine and no, she’s not at the hospital. She’s still at the homestead and she’s refusing to let me go see her. She hung up on me. My girlfriend doesn't want me there with her,” she sobbed and put a hand up to cover her face.

Unable to stand seeing Nicole break down like she was, I came out from behind the counter and pulled her into a motherly hug.

Why would Waverly not want Nicole to come over? What was this talk about someone charging Nicole with treason? Who was it that tried to assassinate Deputy Marshall Dolls? Did any of this have to do with Willa? The questions came fast and furious, but I refrained from asking Nicole any of them. Instead, I stayed quiet and rubbed her back in slow circles while she cried.

“Call her back,” I said once her tears had stopped. “Whatever her reasoning for telling you to stay away doesn't matter. I know she needs you just as much as you need her right now. Call her.”

Nicole moved back from me and wiped her eyes before giving me a nod of her head. I stood there with her while she dialed Waverly’s number and waited for her to answer.

“Baby, I’m sorry,” was the first thing out of Nicole’s mouth when the line connected. “I’m scared and I just wanted to see for myself that you’re really ok. If you don't want me to come over, I won't…Yeah, my shift’s over…You’d want to do that?...Ok, give me ten minutes and I’ll be home...Bye.” She hung up and smiled at me. “We’re going to video chat.”

“What are you still doing here?!” I smiled. “Go home and video chat with your girlfriend!”

Nicole flashed me a dimpled smile and hurried out the door while I shook my head and chuckled.

By the next morning, everything was right as rain again and Nicole was picking up donuts and coffee for herself, Waverly, Wynonna, and surprisingly, Willa.

“I told Waves I’d make an effort to get to know Willa,” she stated with a shrug of her shoulders at my raised eyebrow.

“Best of luck and tell Waverly to get well soon.”

“Will do.”


	7. Not Everyone Likes a Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the last chapter to this story until we have Season 2! I know it's sad, but I want to stay as true to the actual storyline as I possibly can. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has given kudos, bookmarked, and/or commented! It means a lot to me!

The town wide party was a day later. When I first heard about it a week before, I decided that I wasn’t going to go. I didn't want nor need to see half the town drunk and acting like idiots. I had already seen enough of that at Shorty’s to last me a lifetime.

I closed the bakery down at 5:00 PM and went home to enjoy a quiet evening watching an old Humphrey Bogart movie while I put the finishing touches on the quilt I was making Nicole for Christmas.

After I wrapped the quilt in ice skating penguin wrapping paper, I placed it under my tree and went to bed. I woke up at my normal time of 4:00 AM and arrived at the bakery an hour later.

At that time of morning, Purgatory is always quiet so I never noticed anything was amiss until my 6:00 AM crowd never turned up. What really had me worried was when the four widowed ladies who had been my regulars for more than a decade failed to show.

With my brow furrowed, I took a peek outside and saw absolutely no one. There were no cars on the street and no people milling about. That’s when I noticed that I was the only business open on the block. All of the other store fronts were pitch black.

An uneasy feeling crept into my bones then which caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand straight up and goosebumps to cover my entire body. What in the blazing hell had happened at that town wide party?

While I stood trying to figure out what to do next, a small sound pierced the eerie silence. I couldn't make out what it was at first, but the louder it became, the more it sounded like an angry mob of people shouting and yelling. I turned to my right just in time to see said angry mob round the corner.

I stood in horror and watched the scene that unfolded in front of me. It was like I had been thrust into a live recreation of Frankenstein when the townsfolk went after the monster with torches and pitchforks, but the people of Purgatory were armed with chains, baseball bats, and shotguns instead.

“Shit!” I hissed and quickly got my ass back inside my bakery, hoping that none of them saw me. I hurried to lock the door, shut the lights off, and then hid behind the counter.

“WYNONNA! COME OUT! COME OUT! WHEREVER YOU ARE!” I heard being shouted in unison from the crazed group.

“I should have known that Wynonna would be in the thick of this,” I thought to myself with a roll of my eyes.

“WYNONNA! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!” a man shouted angrily before two shotgun blasts rang out scaring the shit out of me and shattered both large windows overlooking my dining room tables.

I hunkered down even further behind the counter hoping that the angry crowd would move on. I guess luck was on my side and the group continued on their way down the street. I waited until I couldn't hear them anymore before standing and surveying the damage.

Glass covered pretty much every square inch of the dining area and the buck shot had peppered my display case making my entire inventory inedible. Letting off a string of expletives, I grabbed my phone and called the Sheriff’s Department, but no one picked up. I hung up and tried calling Nicole, but I only got her voicemail. Something was seriously wrong if Nicole wasn’t picking up her phone. Nicole always answered her phone, even when she was off duty.

Feeling unsettled, I made the decision to head to the Sheriff’s station to see if I could find Nicole. I exited the bakery using the back door and cautiously walked down the alley. I stopped near the corner and listened for any sign of another person before hurrying down the block to the municipal building.

I was met with complete silence when I entered through the single glass door. There was no officer to greet me. No chatter, not even static, on the police scanner. No officers running here or there trying to figure out how to handle the crazy group of people that had just shot up my bakery. It was as if the entire building had been abandoned.

I stepped further into the station, still cautious, and looked around for any clue as to where everyone had gone. Not finding anything, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and tried calling Nicole again. I froze mid step when I faintly heard her annoying electronic ringtone coming from somewhere in the back of the station.

“Nicole?” I called out in a shaky voice and was met only with silence. “Nicole? Are you here?” Again, nothing.

By this time, her phone had gone to voicemail, so I hung up and redialed her number. When I heard her ringtone again, I followed the sound past the front room and halfway down a hallway before her voicemail picked up again. Dialing the number a third time, I resumed following the ringtone to an open room. When I peeked inside, what I saw made my heart stop.

Nicole was lying flat on her back on the floor with her uniform shirt completely unbuttoned, showing her Kevlar vest, and she wasn't moving at all.

“Nicole! Nicole!” I shouted and fell to my knees by her side. “Nicole! Nicole, can you hear me?” I screeched in panic and reached up to feel for a pulse in her neck. I let out a heavy breath of relief when I felt the rhythmic thump against my fingers. “Nicole! Come on, Kiddo, you have to wake up! Nicole! Nicole!”

She stirred then and let out a groan that sounded like she was in pain.

“Nicole! Can you tell me where it hurts?” I asked while looking her over to see if she was bleeding anywhere. That’s when I discovered the depression at the top of her bullet proof vest right over her breast bone. “You’ve been shot! Who the hell freaking shot you?!” I cried with tears streaming down my face.

“W..Wil-la,” Nicole croaked and my blood instantly ran cold.

“That bitch!”

That got Nicole to smile at me before her features twisted into a grimace.

“Let’s get you to the hospital.”

It was a struggle to get Nicole up on her feet and out to her patrol car, but I managed. As I slid into the driver’s seat and turned the car over, I debated if I should use the siren or not.

“Third…button…from the…left,” Nicole wheezed from the back seat and I saw her flash me her dimples in the rear view mirror.

With a small chuckle, I hit the button making the sirens blare and the lights flash then put the car in drive and took off towards the hospital. I got us there in half the time it usually takes and pulled up outside the ER where a nurse helped me get Nicole out of the car as she asked what happened.

“She was shot. The bullet hit her vest. She passed out once and is having a lot of trouble breathing,” I explained as another nurse came with a stretcher.

In the blink of an eye, they had Nicole on the stretcher and had whisked her away inside to triage. Knowing that Nicole was being attended to, I moved her patrol car out of the entry way and attempted to call Waverly as I walked back to the entrance of the hospital. She didn't answer, so I left her a quick voicemail letting her know what happened and where Nicole was.

When I arrived in the ER, a nurse was waiting for me and took me back to where Nicole was being evaluated. I sat crying in the furthest corner of the room watching the doctor and nurses strip Nicole of her uniform and vest to get a look at her injuries.

Medical jargon was tossed around but I only caught snippets of it and understood even less. Start an IV. Get an x-ray. Possible fracture. I closed my eyes then, unable to stand watching as they hooked Nicole up to all sorts of tubes and wires.

“Sue?” I heard Nicole ask in a voice that didn't sound like she was gasping for breath and I forced myself to open my eyes to look at her. “I’m going to be fine.”

I nodded my head in understanding, too choked up to respond verbally. She gave me a small smile and I gave one back to her before wiping at my tears again. Damn Willa Earp. I was going to make her pay for what she had done.

I sat there for half an hour thinking about what exactly I’d do to Willa when a nurse caught my attention and asked me to step out while they took x-rays. I wasn't allowed back into the triage room until they were just about ready to move Nicole to a private room. They were admitting her so they could keep her under observation since the bullet had hit so close to her heart.

I was given a bag of her personal effects and followed as Nicole was taken to a room on the third floor. Once there, I promised her that I’d stay with her before the nurse gave her some much needed pain medication and she fell asleep.

After leaving Waverly a voicemail about Nicole’s updated condition, I sat in the chair beside her hospital bed and cried.

I cried for Nicole. To have a gun pointed at you was bad enough, but having one pointed at you by your girlfriend’s sister and having her pull the trigger? It must have been terrifying. If Nicole hadn't been wearing that bullet proof vest, she could have bled out on that dirty floor. She could have died and she would have been alone.

I cried for Waverly. Her long ago, presumed dead sister shows up out of the blue and not even five days later, she tries to kill Waverly’s girlfriend. How does one even begin to deal with that? Would she blame herself for it and pull away from Nicole in an retroactive attempt to protect her from what others called The Earp Curse? I had seen Waverly do it before. The possibility that she could do that again and end up calling it quits with Nicole broke my heart.

It took a good while, but my tears finally tapered off and I was left with a headache. Leaning my head against the back of the chair, I closed my eyes and ended up falling asleep myself. I woke over an hour later to nurses coming in to check on Nicole.

I excused myself then to get some lunch and brought it back to the room to eat while I watched some game show rerun on TV. It was only after the talk shows started up that Waverly finally showed up.

“Oh my god, Nicole!” she sobbed as she rushed to her girlfriend’s side.

My mouth hung open as I took in Waverly’s appearance. She was still wearing her dress from the party the night before. I imaged it was breathtaking at one point, but now, it was absolutely filthy, frayed, and torn.

“Is she ok?” Waverly asked me when she took ahold of Nicole’s hand.

“She’ll be fine. She’s on some pretty strong pain meds though,” I answered. “Waverly, what the hell happened last night? My bakery’s windows were shot out this morning by some assholes looking for Wynonna and after I found Nicole unconscious at the station, she tells me that it was Willa that shot her.”

“It’s a long story,” Waverly stated as she wiped the tears off her cheeks.

“Then condense it for me,” I said in a harsh tone that had Waverly finally looking at me. “I’ve stayed by Nicole’s side since the moment I found her by repeatedly calling her phone and following her ringtone. I think I deserve some damn answers.” I watched Waverly’s bottom lip quiver before she put a hand up to her mouth and close her eyes. I almost regretted being so stern with her, but I had been on an emotional roller coaster and needed to be told why.

Waverly opened her eyes, removed her hand, and nodded her head, agreeing to tell me. She took a couple of deep breaths before she spoke. “Bobo Del Ray poisoned the champagne that was served at the party and it made anyone who drank it go bonkers, which was pretty much everyone. He announced that whomever brought him Wynonna, he’d give them the antidote.”

“What the hell does Bobo Del Ray want with Wynonna?” I questioned with a frown.

“I have no idea, but we left in a hurry. Nicole stayed behind to give us a head start. Wynonna and I split up, but Chrissy Nedley kidnapped me and tied me up with duct tape at the station. She called Wynonna to negotiate a swap. Wynonna agreed and brought Willa with her. They knocked Chrissy out and Willa got me out of the tape. After I was free, Willa turned a gun on us. She wanted Wynonna’s gun and while we were arguing, Nicole walked in. She…She threatened to shoot Nicole if we didn't give her what she wanted. Wynonna relented and gave her the gun, but the bitch shot Nicole anyway,” Waverly’s voice cracked at the memory.

“If both you and Wynonna were there when Nicole was shot, why didn't you take her to the hospital?” I practically growled. I couldn't believe Waverly would leave Nicole lying on the floor like that.

“Nicole said she was fine, just bruised, and that we needed to go after Willa to stop her from hurting anyone else…I shouldn't have believed her! I should’ve stayed with her! I left her! I left! How could I do that? How could the first time I say I loved her be to Wynonna as I begged her to give Willa the gun?” she wept.

My anger turned into deep sympathy and I brought her into my arms and held her tight while she cried.

“Is she really going to be ok?” Waverly asked after she pulled away from me to get herself a tissue.

“Yes. They’re keeping her overnight just to be on the safe side.”

“Thank you for getting her here and being with her through everything.”

“Of course. You two are family,” I replied and gave her a small smile.

She gave me one back and hugged me again.

“Wave?” I heard Nicole ask and Waverly pulled away from me to turn to her girlfriend.

“Nicole! Oh, Nicole!” she said and immediately went to her side.

I had to smile at the two women as they shared a few tender kisses.

“I’m so sorry that I left you! I’ll never do it again! I promise!” Waverly managed to say in between kisses.

“It’s ok, Baby. I told you to go.”

Their next kiss had a little more heat to it than the previous ones and I felt I should leave to give them some privacy. I was almost to the door before I heard something that warmed my heart.

“I love you, Nicole. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Waves.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be posting new stories in the coming weeks!


	8. Cappuccino with a Side of Broken Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since 7 episodes of Season 2 have already aired and life has allowed me, here is the next installment of this story! Thank you to all who have given Kudos and commented! You all are so awesome! <3

I left the hospital and hitched a ride back home from a young nurse whose shift had just ended. I didn't even bother going to the bakery due to the pure mental and physical exhaustion of having to sneak around out of control townsfolk and dealing with Nicole having been shot.

I didn’t sleep well at all that night. I kept tossing and turning, worrying about Nicole’s health and Waverly’s well-being. I finally gave up around five in the morning and sat in my rocking chair with a cup of black coffee and watched the lights on my Christmas tree twinkle.

Three hours later, I was standing in the entrance way to my bakery wondering where exactly I should start in cleaning up the massive amount of broken glass scattered about the room. I let out a deep sigh then tip toed my way to the back room to get a broom.

Once the glass was cleaned up in the dining area, I started picking ruined donuts out of the display case and throwing them away one by one. The whole thing was depressing and when I finished, I made myself a nice cappuccino, thankful that the asshole with the shotgun had missed my espresso machine.

I refilled my to go cup and made my way to the hardware store, hoping that it was open. Luck was on my side and I was able to get two nice young men to help me purchase and install panels of wood over my broken windows. They even took measurements and ordered me new glass to replace everything that had been broken. I thanked them for their generosity with a free coffee before I sent them on their way.

It was just after 12:30 when I heard the chime of my door and I turned from the counter to see Nicole surveying the damage.

“What the hell happened to your bakery?” she asked with a worried expression on her face.

“This?” I gestured around the room with my hands, “This is courtesy of the hooligans that were after Wynonna.”

“Were you here when it happened?” she asked with a trembling voice.

“Yes, but I’m fine,” I said quickly before she could worry anymore. “I was behind the register. Not a scratch on me.”

“Oh good,” Nicole stated with a hand to her chest as she let out a large breath.

“Having my windows shot out was actually what led me to find you yesterday.”

I saw the fear in her eyes for just a split second before she closed them and shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the traumatic memories that were flashing in her mind. It took another moment for her to open her eyes again.

“Thank you, Sue. Thank you for taking me to the hospital and keeping watch over me,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“Well, I only did it because I wanted to drive a cruiser with the lights and sirens blaring,” I deadpanned.

Nicole’s distressed face turned up into a smile at my joke and we both started laughing until she winced in pain and grabbed at her chest.

“Are you ok?” I asked concerned as I took a few steps towards her.

“Yeah, I’m ok,” she answered. “It just hurt to laugh.”

“I’m surprised they let you out of the hospital.”

“Since nothing’s broken and my vitals were good throughout the night, they saw no reason to keep me any longer.”

“I suppose this means that you’re going back to work?” I already knew the answer, but I really hoped that I was wrong.

“Yeah. The town needs me after what happened.”

“You know, you are allowed to take a moment for yourself. You don't have to continually put others first.” I knew my argument was dead in the water, but I had to try. She always put her wants and needs on the back burner to help others with their problems. She was the job and she’d do it even if she was broken and bleeding.

“I know and I did. I went and saw Waverly earlier,” she smiled bashfully like she was remembering an intimate memory between the two of them.

“How is she?”

“She’s doing ok. So is Wynonna.”

“I heard that the reason why Bobo poisoned everyone was that he wanted to impress Wynonna, but I think that’s a bunch of horse pucky.”

“Sue, I can’t-“ Nicole started, but I cut her off.

“I know you can’t tell me what’s really going on, but I want you to promise me something.”

“What?”

“That whatever you and Waverly are involved in, you be careful. Don’t rush into anything without thinking it through first and you wear a goddamn bullet proof vest everywhere you go.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” she agreed.

“Good. Now, I’ll make you a cappuccino on the house and then you can go do whatever it is that you need to do.”

She chuckled at that and followed me over to the counter to wait for her beverage. Before she left, I gave her the best hug I could while being mindful of her injury and she promised to stop in to check on me the next day.

I wasn’t expecting her to come back early the next morning looking so forlorn. A frown took over my face and I finished pouring one of my regulars their coffee before I motioned with my head for Nicole to follow me into the back room.

“What happened?” I asked once we were out of earshot.

“I thought things were going to be different. I finally got to be a part of things and then it all goes sideways,” Nicole stated and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You and Waverly didn't break up did you?” Just the thought sent my heart plummeting.

“No, we’re still together.”

“Ok. Then what has you looking like someone just ran over your cat?”

“You already know that Waverly’s working with Black Badge.”

“Yes.”

“Well, I thought that when Bobo poisoned everyone that I was going to be working for Black Badge too. I was even deputized and then last night, things fell apart. Waverly made the decision to kick me out.” Nicole blew out a shaky breath then, trying to keep a handle on her emotions. She was obviously devastated at being excluded and angry that Waverly was the one to do it.

My heart went out to Nicole, but a part of me was happy to know that she wasn't going to be working for Black Badge. There was something about them that just didn't sit right with me. I had nothing to back up my reasoning, but I learned a long time ago to trust my gut and my gut was saying that Black Badge was bad news.

“Do you think that it’s possible that Waverly made that decision to protect you?” I questioned.

“I guess it’s possible,” she admitted after a moment, “but that doesn't mean that it hurts any less. She didn't even apologize for it.”

“Did you tell her that what she did upset you?”

“No. She seems…different,” she struggled to find the right word.

“Different? How?” I wondered.

“I don't know…She hasn't been my Waverly lately. Maybe it’s because Willa died.”

“What? Willa’s dead?!” This was news to me. The woman shows up out of the blue after a decade and a half of people thinking she died as a teenager and after only a week she’s back to being dead again. What the hell was going on?

“A very long story that I’ll make short. Willa was working with Bobo and there was a shoot out with Black Badge. Bobo and Willa didn't survive,” Nicole explained.

“Oh good gravy,” I sighed. I wasn’t at all choked up about Willa’s death, but my heart went out to Waverly. She had been through so much in such a short period of time. It’s no wonder that she decided to keep Nicole away from Black Badge.

“Nicole?” I asked gently and waited until she looked at me before I continued. “I know that you feel crushed at being forced out of Black Badge, but with everything Waverly has been through in the last week, I don’t think she meant to hurt you. I honestly believe that she’s trying to keep you as safe as she can. She doesn't want to lose you to whatever it is that’s going on. She’s lost too many people already.”

“I get that. I really do, but she doesn't have to do any of this alone. I’m here and she’s pushing me away.”

“You can't force your way through this, Nicole. You have to take that step back and let her deal with things in her own time and in her own way. She knows that you’re there and when she’s ready, she’ll come to you.”

Nicole thinks about what I’ve said and nods her head in reluctant agreement. “I should head to the station. There’s a mountain of paperwork waiting for me.”

“Ok. You want a cappuccino to help you through it?”

“That would be nice. Thank you.”


	9. Christmas Treats and Strange Behavior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big THANK YOU to my old and new readers! You are all awesome!!

The next day was Christmas Eve and I was up at two in the morning to get a head start on making pastries, pies, and other goodies for the holiday. I had a list a mile long and I wasn’t regretting the expensive purchase of a double full sized gas convection oven that I had made that past summer one bit.

I was exhausted by the time my regulars came in for their morning get together over coffees, but couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I surprised them with some glazed donuts. Despite not having any glass in my display cases, I made several batches of the doughy treats in order to give one to every person who visited my shop.

I had just finished packaging a box of candy cane chocolate swirl fudge when Waverly practically skipped into my bakery. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have given her exuberant behavior a second thought, but knowing about all of the shit that woman had been through recently, I wasn't expecting her to act like her normal, everyday self.

“Hi, Sue,” she stated with her trademark smile and gave a friendly wave as she approached the counter.

“Hello there, Kiddo,” I said and plastered a smile on my face in an attempt to mask my surprise.

“Can I get a caramel latte to go? I’ve got a busy day ahead of me.”

“Sure,” I replied then turned my back to her to start on her order. “Are you and Nicole doing something special for your first Christmas together?” I asked over my shoulder, but I didn't hear an answer. “Waverly?” I questioned as I turned around to face her and found her staring intently towards my cash register.

I couldn't be completely sure, but it looked as though she was captivated by my shiny metal cupcake pen holder. My suspicion was confirmed when she reached out and ran her finger slowly over the metal frosting and down the side of the cupcake wrapper.

“Waverly?” I asked again.

This time, she shook her head then looked up at me. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you and Nicole had something special planned for your first Christmas together,” I stated with a frown. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something felt off. I’ve had that pen holder for over two decades, a gift from my late husband to celebrate the opening of the bakery, and the only time Waverly Earp was that entranced with it was when she saw it as a kid when Curtis and Gus brought her in for her first ever Boston Creme.

“Oh. Yeah, we’re going to watch Christmas movies and drink hot cocoa with marshmallows! Well, mine will have marshmallows because Nicole can't stand them, but yeah, it’ll be fun until she has to go to work,” Waverly explained and wrinkled her nose unhappily at the thought of not spending the whole day with her girlfriend.

“She has to work Christmas night?”

“Yeah. She said something about making sure that everyone gets home safely from celebrating with their families.”

“That’s our Officer Haught,” I smiled.  
  
“Yes, it is,” she agreed half-heartedly then lowered her eyes.

I made a face at that, confused as to why Waverly was acting so strangely. “What’s gotten-“ I started to ask, but she cut me off.

“Is my latte ready yet?” she questioned in a rather snotty voice that I had never heard her use to anyone before.

“No,” I said in a brisk tone and turned around to finish her order without another word. I was rather upset with the way she was acting and treating me but decided to give her a break. It was highly likely that the stress she had been under was starting to get to her.

I quickly poured her beverage into a to go cup and placed it on the counter in front of her. She picked it up, spun around on her heel, and hurried out the door. I stared gobsmacked at her retreating form. Not only had Waverly not given me her customary ‘Thank you,’ she didn't even pay for her drink. With a sigh and a shake of my head, I got back to work making more Christmas goodies.

It wasn't until the sun had sunk in the sky that Nicole came in, stomping her snow covered boots on the mat just inside the door so she wouldn't track the slush all over my dining room floor.

“Good evening, Sue,” she greeted me with a toothy smile.

“Hello, Officer Haught. How is it out there?” I asked and smiled back.

“The temperature dropped like a rock the second the sun started going down and the snow decided to pick up just now and is getting heavier by the minute,” she stated as she took off her Stetson and approached the counter.

“And here we were thinking that the three inches that fell the other night was all that we were going to get for Christmas,” I laughed.

“Yeah,” she chuckled herself.

“So what can I get you?”

“A cappuccino would be great!”

“One cappuccino coming right up.”

“How’s it been going for you today?” Nicole asked as I started on her beverage.

“It’s been busy. Everyone came in all ready to pick up their orders, so I was thinking of closing down for the night here in a little bit.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't want you to get stuck here overnight because of the snow.”

“You're so sweet. Thank you,” I said and turned slightly so she could see my smile then turned back to the espresso machine to put the finishing touches on her drink. “Are you headed home or back to work?” I asked waving off her attempt to pay me as I handed her cappuccino to her. It just didn't feel right to me to take her money, especially since Waverly hadn’t paid for her latte.

“Home. Nedley let me go early since it was snowing or at least that was his excuse.”

“That man is such a softie, but don't tell him I said that.”

“I won’t,” she agreed and we shared a laugh. “Well, I should get going.”

“Before you do, I have something for you and Waverly,” I smiled then asked her to wait while I went to get it. “I was going to drop it off at the station on my way home, but you're here now,” I stated as I handed her a large sack with a decorated Christmas tree on it.

“You didn't have to do this,” Nicole said as she accepted the sack.

“Yes, I did. You and Waverly are family to me.”

Nicole looked very touched by this and came around the counter to give me a big hug. “Thank you, Sue.”

“You’re welcome, Kiddo. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.”

We gave each a squeeze then let go and smiled. With a final goodbye, I watched Nicole put her hat back on and leave the bakery with her gifts in one hand and her cappuccino in the other.

I wouldn't see Nicole or Waverly until the late afternoon of the 26th when they came in together to thank me for giving them each a handmade blanket and a dozen Boston cremes and apple fritters. They even surprised me with a silver necklace with little charms shaped like a stand mixer, whisk, pie tin, measuring spoon and cup, and a rolling pin. It had me in tears and I gave them both big hugs before putting on my gift. I wear it proudly still to this day.

With Christmas behind us, the tension that was there before the holiday returned and Nicole wandered into my bakery the next afternoon to drown her woes with a large cappuccino.

“Want to talk?” I asked her after I set her coffee in front of her.

“It’s Waverly. Last night, she made it sound like my job wasn’t as important as hers.”

“What?” I couldn't believe that Waverly would even think that for a second. She’s always praised Nicole for being a good cop and championed her as the best thing that has ever happened to Purgatory.

“I don't think she meant to, but it got to me and we argued. She tried apologizing just a little bit ago and I didn't want to hear it,” she finished explaining and sighed heavily.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not ready to forgive yet. I’m struggling to find out where I fit into everything now that I’m no longer a part of Black Badge and her words about the only job I can do hurt,” she stated while looking down at her finger tracing a figure eight on the counter beside her cappuccino.

“Nicole,” I said softly and reached a hand out to still hers. “You are an excellent officer. You are kind and compassionate and you treat everyone with respect regardless of stature. I know I’m not the only person that’s glad that you chose to come here.”

She picked up her head and looked at me skeptically. “Really?”

“Really,” I confirmed. “You’re easily the best officer that Purgatory has.”

“Thanks, Sue,” she smiled shyly.

“You’re welcome, Nicole.”

We chatted for a few more moments before she said goodbye so she could finish her paperwork before going home for the night.

Exactly 42 hours later, Waverly Earp came dancing into the bakery with an enormous smile plastered on her face.

“Today is such a beautiful day, don't you think, Sue?” she asked as she literally twirled her way to the counter.

“Yes, quite,” I agreed with a chuckle despite feeling the day was just ok since the sun hadn't found a way through the clouds yet. It was still early enough in the afternoon for that to change, but I wasn't going to hold my breath. “Tell me, what has you in such a great mood?”

“Oh nothing,” she smiled dreamily, “It’s just been a wonderfully amazing morning.”

I looked at her curiously. In all the years I had known Waverly, I had only ever seen her like this one other time and that was because of Nicole Haught. Those two must have made up and now all was right in Purgatory once again.

“Would a caramel latte be a good start to your afternoon?” I asked with a smile.

“Oh yes! And could I also get a cappuccino for my lady?”

I swear the grin on Waverly’s face was a big as the Grand Canyon when she said this.

“Sure thing.”

I busied myself with their order and just as I was starting to pour Nicole’s drink into a to go cup, I heard the chime on the door. “I’ll be right with you!” I called over my shoulder. I hurried to finish and when I turned back around with the two cups of coffee, I saw that my new patron was Nicole.

But neither Nicole or Waverly was interested in me or the beverages I held. They were busy looking at one another. Nicole’s cheeks were a healthy shade of pink as she nervously shuffled her feet and Waverly suddenly forgot how to speak and kept bashfully turning her head to the side.

It took more than a few seconds for me to interpret their body language and realize why these two people would act so embarrassed in front of each other. They really had made up and I don’t believe a lot of talking had taken place when they did. I hid my smile behind the cups I was holding. Good for them to have taken that next step in their relationship.

I gave them a little bit longer together before I cleared my throat and announced that Waverly’s order was ready. Both of them instantly turned scarlet and Waverly came over to pay and collect the drinks while purposely avoiding eye contact with me.

A bit reluctantly, since I was curious as to how the exchange of coffee went, I turned my back to clean up the back counter in order to give them some privacy, but I did overhear their conversation.

“Thank you,” Nicole said.

“Anything for you,” Waverly replied.

“Ummm, I get off…uhhh, I mean, my shift ends at four. Do you want to come- I mean would you want to have dinner with me?” Nicole stammered.

I bit my lip hard to keep from laughing. The poor woman couldn't say anything without it sounding like innuendo.

“Yes!” Waverly practically shouted. “I mean, yes, I’d like to have dinner with you,” she corrected in a softer voice.

“Great! My place at six?”

“Yeah,” Waverly giggled.

I didn't hear anything more for a second and then a faint noise like the two shared a kiss before the chime on the door sounded. Only after I heard the door close did I turn back around. Upon seeing my dining area empty, I let out a hearty laugh at the whole exchange.


	10. Discombobulated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In keeping with the timeline of Waverly being possessed for 7 weeks, I decided that Gooverly needed to make more of an appearance. Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoy! <3

New Years came and went without much fuss at all. By the 4th, new glass had replaced the wood panels and on the 5th, freshly made donuts and pastries filled my display cases once more. Word quickly spread that I was selling more than just coffee and I swear everyone in town found their way to my bakery at some point during the day.

Waverly popped by with an unfamiliar face late that afternoon after my rush.

“Dude! This place looks exactly like the place my nana used to take me every Saturday when I was little,” the young man exclaimed as he stepped into my lobby.

“Sue, I’d like you to meet Jeremy Chetri. He just moved here,” Waverly introduced when they arrived at the counter.

“Hi!” Jeremy smiled widely and held up his hand in greeting. “Hey! You even look like my Nana! Well, sort of. My nana had all white hair and she was much shorter than you, like this tall,” Jeremy stated as he measured with his hand a height that came up to right below his own shoulders, “and she was a lot rounder, but other than that, you are her.”

“Hello,” I greeted back with my own smile and a chuckle. I had taken an instant liking to the slightly awkward man, getting a good vibe from him despite having a strong suspicion that he was involved with Black Badge. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Oh yes! Yes! She was a great old lady! Not that you’re old or anything!” he quickly corrected and I had to laugh again.

“Jeremy!” Waverly warned lightly.

“I’m sorry! I really am! I’m totally not good at meeting new people.”

“It’s alright, Jeremy. You’re doing just fine,” I reassured with another smile.

“Oh good!” he let out a deep breath. “I tend to ramble a lot.”

“Not a problem. So, what can I get you today?”

“I’ll do a mocha latte but it’s going to take me awhile to figure out what kind of goodie I want,” he said while staring transfixed at the many choices he had in the display case.

“Take your time,” I smiled. “Anything for you, Waverly?”

“A caramel latte will do,” she answered.

“Coming right up.”

After getting them their drinks, Jeremy finally settled on a raspberry filled glazed donut.

“How much do I owe you?” he asked after I placed the white sack with his donut in it next to his coffee.

“It’s on the house,” I smiled.  
  
“What? Really?” he asked as his eyes lit up.

“Yes.”

“You are so awesome!” he exclaimed and I had to laugh as he tried to come around the counter to hug me.

“Jeremy!” Waverly scolded.

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized with a sheepish grin and offered me his hand instead.

“It’s alright,” I stated with a chuckle and shook his hand. “Enjoy your treats.”

“I sure will! Raspberry has always been a favorite of mine and I’m always down for a good glazed donut. I think it will go perfectly with the taste of a mocha-“

“Jeremy!” Waverly cut him off and grabbed his shoulder.

“Ok! Bye, Sue! It was nice to meet you!” he yelled as he was being drug out of the bakery.

“You too, Jeremy!” I called after him with a laugh.

It was going to be fun having Jeremy around. I only hoped that no harm would come to him while he was employed by that shady government agency.

I went back to work cleaning up my back counter and sweeping up my back room. It wasn’t long before Henry came in with another new face, a woman by the name of Rosita. While nice, I didn’t take to her like I had Jeremy. I think it was mainly because she seemed a little too friendly and familiar with Henry when I knew that he fancied Wynonna. He didn’t seem too bothered by it, so I imagined that it was possible he was moving on since Wynonna tended to drag her feet when it came to commitment.

Two days later, I spotted Nicole and Waverly holding hands while they crossed the street in front of the bakery. It was the first time that I had seen them publicly acting like the couple that they were and it made my heart happy.

“Hi, Sue,” Waverly greeted me when she entered through the door that Nicole was holding open for her.

“Hey, you two,” I replied back. “Brrrrrrr. It’s freezing out there,” I shivered after feeling the cold breeze that followed Nicole in.

“And that’s precisely why we stopped in,” Nicole smiled.

“Just the latte and cappuccino today?” I asked.

“Better give us a Boston creme and an apple fritter too. I don’t want to venture back outside anytime soon,” Waverly answered.

“Well then, I’ll put your coffees in mugs so you’re forced to drink them here,” I stated with a smile.

“Sounds good,” Nicole smiled back.

I rang them up and got started on their order while they took a seat in their favorite booth.

They stayed well past the time it took them to finish eating and drinking. It was only when the sky turned darker and the first flakes of snow started to fall did they decide it was time to go home.

“You want to go back to my place? We can watch a movie,” I heard Nicole ask after what I assumed was her zipping up her jacket.

“I don’t want to watch a movie,” Waverly snapped angrily.

I picked my head up from the paper I was reading behind the counter and frowned at the scene in front of me. As far as I knew, there wasn’t a reason for Waverly to get upset like that. Things had been going well between them with them talking and laughing while playing with each other’s fingers.

“Oookaay, then we won’t watch a movie,” Nicole stated with her own frown. “How about we play a game of Scrabble?” she tried again.

“No. I always beat you. It’s no fun playing when it’s not a challenge.”

My jaw dropped at the same time Nicole’s face fell. I couldn’t believe the harsh words that had just come out of the town darling’s mouth. I hadn’t recovered yet from the shock of what I was bearing witness to before Waverly took off out the door and Nicole chased after her calling her name.

I blinked twice in rapid succession before I managed to unglued my feet from the floor and started after them. I only made it as far as halfway across the dining area before a gaggle of teenage girls entered the bakery. With an unhappy sigh, I headed back behind the counter to wait on my patrons.

I worried about Nicole and Waverly for the rest of the evening, but by the next morning, all seemed as right as rain with the two of them when they came in for their coffee and donuts. While Waverly paid for their order, they both apologized for arguing in front of me. I assured them that I had seen much worse and I had. Waverly and Nicole’s little quarrel paled in comparison to when Patricia Dugan confronted her cheating husband and his little chickadee in my bakery ten years before, but I didn’t let on that they had caused me concern. Instead, I thanked them for the apology and gave them both hugs before they skedaddled off to their respective jobs.

I thought that the incident in my bakery between Nicole and Waverly was just a case of a lover’s tiff, but I wasn’t that lucky. Over the course of the next few weeks, I noticed an increase in rude and abrasive behavior by Waverly. It started out as an eye roll here and there when Wynonna, Nicole, or another customer was talking and gradually became worse.

I remember when I was walking to the bank one weekday afternoon while it was slow at the bakery and saw Waverly’s Jeep pass by me and stop at a red light behind another vehicle. I thought nothing of it until I heard a horn honk a couple of times and then Waverly yell, “The light isn’t going to get any greener, jackass!” She honked again before swerving around the still stationary car and displaying her middle finger out her window.

If it hadn’t been Waverly that had just done it, I might have laughed, but since it was Waverly, a deep frown overtook my face. It was very unlike Waverly, but I dismissed it as her just being stressed out over something or other and I continued on with my errand.

I shouldn’t have because it happened again six days later. Nedley stopped by the bakery in the morning in an official capacity to ask me if I had seen anyone unusual hanging around the area the night before or very early this morning that could have vandalized the stop sign on the corner. I told him that I hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary, but if anyone came in with stained neon blue hands, I’d let him know. He thanked me then ordered a coffee.

I was almost done making a fresh pot of coffee when a happy and smiling Waverly entered.

“Hey, Kiddo, I’ll be with you in a sec,” I called over my shoulder and went to get a to go cup to fill it with straight black coffee. “Anything else I can get you?” I asked the Sheriff as I set the coffee in front of him.

“Well, I was thinking about having a cinnamon twist, but I don’t know. Those raspberry filled ones look pretty good too.”

“Nothing says that you can’t have both,” I stated innocently.

He looked up at me and I swore a smile tugged at his lips before he looked back down at the display case. I stood waiting for him to decide, but apparently, my other patron didn’t want to.

“Hey, hurry up there, big boy, I haven’t got all day,” Waverly said impatiently.

My eyes got big as I watched Nedley pick up his head and turn slowly around to look at the youngest Earp.

“What?” she asked flippantly. “I need to get back to Black Badge. I have important work to do.”

“Right. I’m sure you do,” Nedley responded gruffly before turning back to resume deciding between the two treats, which seemed to annoy Waverly even more.

I caught her eye and gave her a concerned look, but she shook her head and averted her eyes. I had only a second to contemplate Waverly’s behavior before Nedley announced his decision to get both. I smiled and boxed up his goodies then keyed it in on the register and told him his total.

“Have a good rest of your day, Sue,” Nedley stated as he picked up his order.

“Thank you and you too, Sheriff,” I responded back with a smile and a wave.

“Finally,” Waverly grumbled and took Nedley’s spot at the counter. “I need one apple fritter, one Boston creme, a cappuccino, and a caramel latte.”

“Is everything alright with you, Waverly?” I questioned without moving from my spot behind the register.

“Yeah. I’m great,” she grinned.

I studied her for a moment longer before nodding my head and turning to start on her coffees. I didn’t believe her, but I didn’t exactly know what to do about it and I most certainly didn’t want to inquire any further and have her bite my head off.

After I finished her beverages and set her bag of donuts on the counter in front of her, I noticed that she was once again bewitched by my cupcake pen holder. I swear to this day that she moaned as she lazily drug a finger around the pens that were sticking out of it.

“Waverly?” I questioned, but she acted like she didn’t hear me. “Waverly?” I tried again and got the same result. “Waverly!” I shouted and touched her shoulder.

That finally got her attention and she looked up at me startled.

“Are you sure you are ok?” I asked with obvious concern etched on my face and in my voice.

“Yeah…I-I’m good,” she answered back but the smile she gave me didn’t quite meet her eyes.

“If you want to talk-“ she cut me off.

“I’m fine,” she snapped then reached into her pocket and set a $10 bill on the counter, grabbed her order, and left the bakery.

All I could do was stare after her and hope that she’d work through whatever it was that was bothering her.

Waverly’s behavior disturbed me the most when I was standing in the shortest checkout line at the grocery store the night of February 7th. I was two spots behind Waverly and the elderly woman in front of her was having difficulty using the credit card machine. Waverly became impatient, crossed her arms in front of her and started loudly tapping her foot, trying to hurry the woman along, which only made the lady more flustered and unable to concentrate. When the woman asked the checker if she could write a check instead, Waverly blew her top.

“Oh, my frickin’ god!? Are you frickin’ serious?!” Waverly growled angrily as she waved her hands around.

I could see the older woman turn and give her an apologetic look, but it apparently wasn’t good enough for Waverly.

“Ahhh!” she yelled in frustration and not so nicely pushed past the woman and stomped out of the store, leaving me flabbergasted and everyone else to wonder what to do with her abandoned items on the conveyer belt.

I could no longer keep my distress to myself, so before I went home for the evening, I stopped by to see Nicole.

“Sue, what brings you here so late?” Nicole asked, obviously surprised to see me as she stood up and approached the counter.  
  
“Waverly isn’t here, is she?” I whispered.  
  
“No. She left a little bit ago to get groceries and then was going back to the homestead. Why? What’s wrong?” Nicole narrowed her eyes in worry.

“I’ve noticed that Waverly hasn’t been acting like her normal self lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“She went ballistic just now on an elderly lady that wanted to write a check at the grocery store,” I explained.

“What? Are you sure that it was Waverly?” Nicole asked in utter disbelief.

“I wouldn’t be here talking to you if it wasn’t her. Nicole, I’m really worried about her. She told Nedley, and I quote, “Hurry up there, big boy,” a few days ago at the bakery.”

“She did what?”

“Yeah. Please tell me that you’ve noticed a difference in her behavior.”

Nicole hung her head and let out a deep sigh before answering. “I-I have. I just didn’t want to believe it.”

“Is she still struggling with what happened before Christmas or is this because of Black Badge?” I whispered the last part just in case Black Badge had the placed bugged or something.

“I don’t know,” she answered, but her body language suggested that she knew more than she was letting on.

“You have a theory.”  
  
She knew I wasn’t asking a question and she picked up her head to look at me. "Yeah, I do, but I can’t talk about it.”

“She’s not in some kind of trouble is she?”

“No. It’s something personal.”

“Ok,” I accepted the answer. I desperately wanted to know more, but I knew that was all I was going to get out of Nicole. “You know that I’m here for you and Waverly, whatever you need, right?”

“I know and we both appreciate that.”

“Alright. I should go and let you get back to work,” I stated with a small smile before turning to leave.

“Sue?” Nicole called after me and I stopped and turned back around. “Thank you for coming in to talk to me. We’re lucky to have someone who cares so much about us.”

“You’re welcome, Kiddo.”

We shared a smile before I left the station and made my way home for the night.


	11. Sticky Fingers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone who has read my little labor of love, hit the kudos button, or commented. It means a lot to me. <3

For the next two days I was busy getting ready for the ten year championship reunion of the 2007 Blue Devils Hockey Team slated to last all weekend. I had already begun to see an influx of patrons and I expected even more now that Shorty’s was due to reopen on Friday.

This is what led me to find out that I was missing three creamers, a napkin dispenser, my one and only bench scraper, and a handful of cutlery on Thursday as I was getting ready to close the bakery for the night. I was not happy by any means and let out a string of expletives as I grabbed my purse. As I started out the door, a lack of sound caught my attention and I looked up to find that my door chime was also missing.

“What the frickin’ hell is going on?!” I groaned out loud and rested my forehead against the glass of the door for a moment.

I could explain away a few of my missing items by them accidentally getting tossed in the trash and I had had a young child make off with a creamer twice before, but there was absolutely no way that my door chime just grew legs and walked away! Someone, a teenager or an adult, had to have pilfered it because no one else would have been tall enough to reach it. I was sure it was one of those damn hockey hooligans! Everything was fine until they started to show up!

I was absolutely seething as I locked up, jumped into my car, and drove to the big city as fast as the snow covered streets would allow me. I was lucky that I made it to the housewares store ten minutes before it closed or else I would have been even more furious than I already was.

When I returned home to Purgatory, I dug out my Christmas decorations to find my silver bells to use as a door chime until I had the opportunity to go buy something more practical. With my task completed, I went to bed exhausted.

As expected, I was so swamped with families treating themselves to coffee and donuts the next morning that I almost regretted turning down Cathy Williams and Carrie Conner’s help. But I survived the rush without any flub-ups and my silver bells and all creamers, flatware, and napkin dispensers were accounted for.

It slowed down to a trickle for a little over two hours and had picked back up in the afternoon when Waverly came by. Judging by the look on her face as she stood in line I could tell she was upset about something.

“Everything ok?” I asked her when she got to the register.

“Nothing one of your delicious Boston cremes can’t fix,” she stated with a sad smile.

“You want a caramel latte to go with that?”

“Yes, please.”

After Waverly paid for her order, I wanted to talk to her further, but my lobby was full as it was so I told her to take care and she nodded her head before she turned to leave.

The next three people in line had large orders and it took me longer than I wished it had. By the time I was finished with my rush, my back counter was a mess. I took a few minutes for myself to decompress and go to the bathroom before setting to work to clean up. I was almost finished when I heard a voice behind me.

“Hello?”

I jumped at the sudden noise and turned with a hand on my chest to find a young woman standing at my counter.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” she apologized.

“No, it’s ok. I didn’t hear you come in.” I peeked around my patron to look at my door and found that my silver bells had vanished. “Not again,” I whined in disbelief.

“Excuse me?” the woman asked me with a frown.

“Someone stole my door chime again,” I sighed.  
  
“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, dear…What can I get you?” I smiled.

Once I finished her order and she was on her merry way, I decided to close the shop for fifteen minutes so I could run to the hardware store down the street to buy another door chime. They didn’t have any in stock, but one of the young men was nice enough to run a piece of twine through a brass bell as a quick fix for the time being and he didn’t even charge me for it. My only hope was that it would last me at least for the rest of the day, but I wasn’t too confident.

Once dinner time rolled around, the foot traffic to the bakery dropped off significantly. I was on the verge of falling asleep standing up when I heard the bell on the door ring and I opened my eyes to find Nedley walking my way.

“Hey there, Sue. How have things been?” he greeted.

“Busy, but good, though I’d like to report a theft.”

“Oh?” he raised his eyebrow.

“Someone has stolen my door chime twice in the last day.”

“Did you see who it was?”

“No, but it has to an adult. My silver bells went missing some time this afternoon while all of the kids tall enough to reach them were still in school,” I answered.

“Do you have security cameras?”

“Yes, but they only cover the register, the lobby, and the back entrance.”

“I’ll send an officer over to take a look at the footage and see if they can see anything,” he stated in what I like to call his cop tone.

“That would be great. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So, what can I get you this evening?”

“Coffee, black, and one of your cappuccinos.”

“A cappuccino? Does this happen to be for Officer Haught?” I inquired while trying to hold back a smile.

“She’s had a rough day today and I thought she could use one.”

I couldn’t hide my smile any longer. This taciturn man was a big ole softy on the inside and this proved it. “I’m glad that Nicole has you in her corner. She’s one of the best officers I’ve seen come through here in a long time.”

“Yes, she is,” he agreed.

I smiled once more at him then proceeded to make his requested beverages.

As promised, Nedley sent over an officer to check my security footage when I closed down for the night, but neither he nor I saw who snatched my door chime. Frustrated, I went home and went to bed.

I wasn’t as busy early Saturday morning like I had been on Friday due to all of the hockey hoodlums being drunk and hungover from their night of partying at Shorty’s, but by 11:00 AM, my lobby was nothing but a sea of blue and white. It stayed that way for a couple of hours and then tapered off to nil. I got busy again around 2:00 PM and by 4:00, my lobby was back to being completely empty. The surprising thing was that my makeshift brass bell door chime was still there after both rushes. Maybe it just wasn’t attractive enough to steal anymore. I could hope, right?

I was sweeping behind the display case when Jeremy entered the bakery that evening. I hadn’t seen him recently since Waverly and Wynonna had been coming in the last couple of weeks to order coffee and donuts for Black Badge.

“Hi, Jeremy. It’s nice to see you again,” I greeted him with a smile. “How are you?”

“Hi, Sue. I’m good, no great! Rosita and I have been really busy working on trying to recreate this very complicated formula, well actually, it’s more like a medication that we’re hoping to turn into a cure. It’s all very exciting,” he rattled on with a great big smile.

“It sounds like incredibly important work,” I stated while not letting on that I was surprised to find out that Rosita was just pretending to be the pretty face behind the bar. There definitely was more to her than I gave her credit for and the next time she came in, I was going to apologize for misjudging her.

“It really really is, especially since it will help Agent Dolls!” Jeremy continued.

My eyes went as big as saucers. I had wondered what had happened to Xavier these last couple of months. He was sick and Jeremy and Rosita were trying to help him.

“Ooohhhh, I shouldn’t have said that,” Jeremy cringed at his mistake.

“My lips are sealed,” I reassured him once I recovered from my own shock.

The look of relief that crossed his face was like a weight lifted off of his shoulders. “See, this is why I love you so much. I can tell you things like about Dolls and Waverly, who went on her first undercover mission with Lucado and you’re so cool about it!”

“She did what?” I asked, my voice going all high and squeaky as I tried to not seem unsettled about what Waverly was doing.

“Yeah, she begged to go on an undercover mission so Lucado let her go with her to Ba Ding Ba Ding today. I haven’t heard anything, so things must be going well,” he shrugged with a smile.

I, however, was on the verge of a heart attack. Waverly was supposed to be doing research only! How did she go from being the resident bookworm to being undercover and why would she want to after claiming that Black Badge was so dangerous that she needed to protect Nicole from them?! What the hell had that girl gotten herself into?!

“So you don’t happen to have any pumpkin spice, do you? It’s Rosita’s favorite,” Jeremy asked hopefully, interrupting my chaotic thoughts.

“Ummm….sorry. I ran out earlier,” I somehow managed to answer him.

“Bummer. Ok then, I’ll get her a mocha latte and I’ll take one myself.”

“Alright.”

I turned in a daze, still reeling from what I just learned, and made Jeremy’s drinks on autopilot as his reassurance about the success of Waverly’s mission did little to quell my nerves. He didn’t seem to notice my uneasiness when I finished his order as he gabbed in more detail about the process of making a cure for Xavier as he paid me.

“I hope you succeed,” I tried to smile.

“Thanks. I’ll catch you on the flip side,” he grinned back and left the bakery.

The only thing I could do was go into my office and take two swigs straight from the bottle of bourbon that I’d kept in the bottom drawer of my desk ever since Bobo Del Ray had taken possession of Shorty’s. I was about to go for a third when I heard the bell ring signaling a patron. I capped the bottle and put it back in the drawer, popped a piece of gum in my mouth to cover up the strong smell of bourbon, and went to serve my customer.

I didn’t get much sleep that night and I was thanking the heavens the next morning when the people in my lobby consisted of my regular patrons and not a mass of half drunk hockey delinquents demanding their coffee so they could sober up.

At 11:20 AM, the brass bell on the door chimed and I looked up to see Nicole sporting a brand new hair do and Sheriff’s uniform. Gone was her French braid and the classic look that Purgatory officers had been wearing since Nedley was a rookie. Instead, Nicole had a more modern look to her with her hair cut short and layered and wearing a sleek black winter coat adorned with the Purgatory Sheriff Department patches, black pants with a teal colored stripe running down both sides, and tan boots that looked warmer and more practical to wear during the winter months than the previous ones had. I whistled my approval.

“Looking rather sharp there, Officer Haught!”

“Thanks, Sue!”

“What happened for Nedley to agree to get new uniforms? Did he hit his head or something?” I asked.

“Actually, it was me that changed his mind,” she smiled, popping out her dimples as she  
did so.

“Oh, I sense a story here! Tell me,” I stated eagerly and she laughed at me.

“Well, I was having a bad day on Friday with seemingly everyone I came in contact with and just before my shift ended, Nedley came in with a coffee and we talked. Sue, he wants me to be Sheriff when he retires.”

“Ahhhhh!” I yelled happily then came around the counter to give her a hug. “Congratulations! You are an outstanding officer already and will make an amazing Sheriff!”

“You think?” she asked self consciously.

“No. I know you will. I’m glad that Nedley knows it too.” I gave her another squeeze before I let her go. “So how does this exciting development translate into a new uniform?”

“Well, I know that I can’t be Sheriff now, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t start a dialogue about things that I feel the department needs. We need more boots walking the beat and having new uniforms can help attract new recruits.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You are one of the best things to ever happen to Purgatory. I’m so glad that you decided to come here. You’re really making a difference.”

Tears stung Nicole’s eyes and I reached out to hug her again.

“Thank you, Sue. It’s nice to hear that I’m actually helping people. That’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid.”

“You’re welcome.”

With another pat on the back, I let her go and asked her if I could get her her usual and she agreed.

“Has Waverly been in?” Nicole asked me as I handed the apple fritter to her.

“No. I haven’t seen her since Friday.”

“Ok. Well, if you do, could you tell her to please stop by the office? I’ll be there until four.”

“Certainly.”

“Thanks. Have a good rest of your day,” she smiled at me.

“You, too,” I smiled back and watched as she left.

Waverly never stepped foot into the bakery that day and I ended up closing a few hours early due to the thunder snowstorm that was being predicted to hit the town head on. I was not about to get stuck spending the night sleeping on the bench of one of my booths again like I had before during the winter of ’02.


	12. A Time for Tea and Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Friday treat for you all! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get this chapter up. Life hasn't let me breathe enough to get it out sooner.

The thunder snowstorm turned out to be all hype with no action. I saw a few flashes of lightning and heard an equal amount of rumbles of thunder, but that was it. The amount of snow that had fallen was so minuscule that it didn’t even qualify as a dusting. I was disappointed that I had shut down the bakery so early, but I decided it was better to be safe than sorry and curled up with my favorite blanket and flipped on the television to watch an old black and white movie starring Humphrey Bogart.

The next morning started off like any other with me serving my regular customers. Nicole came in fifteen minutes after I opened seeking out a cappuccino and an apple fritter as she rubbed her bleary eyes with the heels of her hands. It had been another long overnight shift for her and the only thing that had been keeping her from closing her eyes and falling asleep was to finish the mountain of reports and paperwork that Nedley had tasked her with. I told her that as soon as her shift was over to head home and go to bed. She agreed, but I could tell by the bright smile that appeared on her face that she’d sleep after she reunited with her girlfriend. With a smile of my own, I wished her well as she walked out of the bakery.

It wasn’t until two hours later that things started to get weird. First, Waverly dropped by with the odd request of an herbal tea, specifically one that was full of antioxidants and completely caffeine free. At my raised eyebrow, she explained that she was trying something new, but I didn’t believe it when she turned down Simply Divine, a peppermint tea in favor of the ginger tea, Soothing Sunshine, claiming a dislike for peppermint. I knew that was a bunch of hooey because Waverly loves peppermint flavored anything. It’s an absolute guarantee that you’d find her sucking on a red and white striped candy cane during the month of December.

I didn’t call her out on her lie, but I wondered who the tea could be for as I made it. The only logical candidate I could come up with was Wynonna, but it stumped me as to why she’d want tea all of a sudden. Maybe she was trying to quit drinking before noon. One could only hope, right? Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I handed Waverly the tea in exchange for payment and she went on her way.

Not more than a few minutes went by before the second strange thing happened. A nun walked past my window holding both of her hands up in front of her. Now, normally I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. There were a few nuns that walked the streets of Purgatory praying for its residents, but this nun’s hands looked to be covered in blood. I hurried to the door, opening it just in time to see the nun start running towards the Sheriff’s station. I kept watching and only went back inside my bakery when the door to the station closed behind her.

The third bizarre thing to occur that day happened a little after 11:00 AM. I was behind the counter getting ready to hand my customer his coffee when I suddenly began to feel extremely tired. I shook my head, trying to fight it, but the pull of sleep was too strong. The last thing I remember thinking before everything went black was, “I’m so glad this guy wanted iced coffee.”

When I finally awoke, I felt like I had been hit by a bus. Getting my bearings, I gingerly pushed myself up to try and sit, but my bones protested with several loud pops and I collapsed back upon the ground. After a few seconds, I tried again. This time I was successful, but I instantly wished I hadn’t been. As soon as I was seated I was hit with a wicked headache that made me feel as though I was going to lose my breakfast.

I shut my eyes tight, lifted my legs, and gasped in pain as the muscles in my back were stretched taut as I bent forward to help subdue my nausea. Surprisingly, the position alleviated my headache as well and I was finally able to open my eyes and take stock of myself and my surroundings.

I was on the floor of my bakery with my shirt and pants soaked with coffee. A clear plastic cup was just inches from my feet and it was surrounded by ice and a few puddles of coffee. Seeing the spill jogged my foggy brain and I remembered I was helping a customer at the time I blacked out.

I lifted my head a few inches higher to see if I could find my patron, but he wasn’t behind the counter with me. I wondered what had happened to him. Had he gone to get help? Did he split thinking someone would blame him for me passing out? A loud groan coming from the other side of the counter answered my question.

“Sir?” I called out and received a grunt in reply. “Sir, are you ok?” I tried again.

“I’m going to... puke,” he moaned.

“Put your head between your knees.”

I heard him sigh in relief and decided to see if I was strong enough to stand so I could check on him.

“What the hell happened?” he asked me as I used the counter to pull myself first to my knees then to my feet.

“I have no idea,” I answered as I looked down at him.

He lifted his head to look up at me and I saw the pain flash over his eyes before he shut them tightly and put his head back between his knees.

“Just breathe through it. Your headache will go away in a few minutes,” I instructed lightly.

While the man recovered, I dug my phone out of my pocket and called Nicole.

“Sue, are you ok?” the officer’s worried voice asked.

“Better now, but how did you know I was calling because something was wrong?” I questioned.

“Because what happened to you happened to the entire town.”

“What?” I was taken aback by her answer.

“We think it was a gas leak.”

“Bullshit,” I said, calling out her lie. If there had been a gas leak that big, I would have smelled the stink of sulfur long before I would have passed out.

She let out a heavy sigh that said to me she was debating whether or not to give in and tell me the truth or stick to her guns. I didn’t have to wait very long before I found out her decision.

“You’re right, but I can’t get into any specifics.”

Her reply meant that what had happened to me, and apparently the entire town, was directly tied to Black Badge. If it wasn’t, Nicole wouldn’t be telling me a tall tale.

“Of course you can’t,” I said sardonically.

“Sue, I’m sorry.”

“I know, Kiddo. It’s not your fault. Are you and Waverly ok?”

“Yeah, we’re fine.”

“That’s good to hear. I should let you go so you can go back to work.”

“I’ll come check on you later.”

“Ok. I’ll have an apple fritter waiting.”

“Sounds good.”

After hanging up, I noticed that my customer had left, when, I had no idea. Shrugging, I slowly made my way to the back room to change into some dry clothes.

It took a few hours after the strange phenomenon for the citizens of Purgatory to resume their normal routines. I had just finished a rush when Nicole dropped by like she said she would. The only new information I learned was that whatever had caused the town to pass out had been taken care of and wouldn’t be happening again.

If passing out from something that involving Black Badge wasn’t crazy enough, it had nothing on late the next evening when Waverly entered my bakery with a shoebox in her hands and proceeded to lock my door and turn off the neon open sign in the window by the door.

“Waverly? What’s going on? Why’d you close me down?” I asked bewildered by her behavior.

“I need to talk to you privately,” she said with her head bowed and her voice barely above a whisper.

“Ok. What do you want to talk about?”

Waverly didn’t answer me. Instead, she shuffled her feet slowly towards a booth. She lightly set the shoebox on the table then dropped onto the bench with an audible thump and her eyes cast downward.

Frowning in thought as to why Waverly was acting so ashamed, I tossed the rag I had been using onto the back counter and crossed the dining area to sit on the bench seat across from Waverly. I stayed quiet letting Waverly dictate when she wanted to speak. She made several attempts to explain herself, opening her mouth, but each time no sound came out. She finally gave up and just pushed the shoebox across the table to me.

I heard the familiar clank and jingle of my original door chime and my silver bells. I excitedly grabbed the shoebox and quickly lifted the lid.

“Waverly, wherever did you find my…” I trailed off. Upon closer inspection, the box didn’t just hold my door chimes. It contained my other stolen items as well. “Waverly?” I questioned in disbelief. “I don’t understand. How do you have all this?”

“Because,” her voice quivered, “because I stole it.”

I sat there absolutely flabbergasted. “You? You stole from me?”

She nodded her head confirming my question then sniffed and wiped at her eyes.

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged her shoulders.

None of this made any sense to me. Waverly Earp, the woman that still asked if it was ok if she took a free sample, had just admitted to me that she had stolen from me and couldn’t give me a reason why. It wasn’t like she had taken money from my cash register or had pinched items of value. The things she had pocketed were mundane and could easily have been bought brand new for a little of nothing. No, something just didn’t smell right with this situation. I took another look inside the box and noticed a distinct similarity between all of the items.

“Why did you only take things that were silver?” I asked. I looked at her and found surprise etched on her tear-streaked face. “Why not the brass bell or the glass sugar shakers?”

“What?” she frowned at me like she was confused.

“Come on, Kiddo. Something doesn’t add up here. You’ve never stolen anything from me before. Everything you took is shiny silver in color and practically worthless. You could’ve tossed all of it in the trash and I wouldn’t have been the wiser, but you felt the need to confess and return my things to me. So, what’s going on?”

Waverly pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and dropped her her eyes from mine. “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t,” she breathed out sadly.

“Why not?”

“I just…can’t.”

I decided to try a new tactic to see if I could get something out of her. “Do you remember when you were around thirteen and you came in here after school one day all upset and screamed as you threw your school bag across the room?”

“Yeah,” she said with a half smile at the memory.

“Do you remember what I told you when you refused to tell me what was wrong?”

“You said that strength comes from being willing to ask for and accept help when you need it.”

“Do you remember what you did after I said that?”

“I laughed, but I knew you were right. After twenty minutes I gave in and told you why I was mad and you helped me through it.”

“I’m going to give you the same advice as I did back then. There are times in your life when working things out on your own is the way to go and other times, you need help. What’s going on with you now is one of those times when you need to let someone in. You can’t keep carrying around the burden of trying to protect everyone. No one should have to feel that they have to do that alone. Keeping everyone at arm’s length is only going to hurt you. It already has.”

“I’d rather be hurt than be the reason why someone dies.”

Her words stunned me, but only for a second before I got angry.

“And what about those that love you?” I barked. “Do you think any of us want to watch you destroy yourself? I excused your destructive behavior as your grief at losing Willa, but as time went on, I realized that was a crap excuse. It wasn’t sadness or grief or even you trying to push people away because you wanted to protect them from the evils of this world. No, you were acting like a completely different Waverly. I don’t recognize the woman that you’ve been since the new year. You’ve been nasty, hurtful, and cruel and now I can add a kleptomaniac to that as well. I’ve never been as scared of you and for you, as I have been these last few weeks,” I finished with a strangled cry and lowered my head as I wiped the tears from my face.

We sat in silence for several minutes before I felt Waverly put a comforting hand on top of mine.

“Sue?” she asked, her voice soft.

“What?”

“I’m sorry I scared you and I’m sorry that I stole from you…You are right about a lot of things. I really haven’t been myself for a long time, but I am now. I’m the Waverly you’ve always known.”

“Are you sure about that?” I asked fixing her with a hard stare.

“Yes, I’m positive. Scary-klepto Waverly is no more and will never make a return. I promise you that.”

“And will you talk to Nicole or Jeremy or hell, even Wynonna, and let them help you?”

“Yes.”

I frowned at her for a second longer before my features relaxed into a smile. “Good. Now, you can clean this place up for me as your restitution.”

Waverly nodded her head with a smile of her own and slid out of the booth.

“Oh! And Waverly?” I called over my shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t forget to replace that hideous brass bell with my lovely silver door chime!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

It was just before dinner the next evening when Nicole entered with an expression on her face that screamed hangover.

“What-“ I started to inquire, but she cut me off.

“Please, don’t ask,” she pleaded.

“Alright. Your usual?”

“Yes, please.”

“Go sit,” I ordered and Nicole turned and sunk into a booth without argument.

I quickly made a cappuccino then grabbed an apple fritter and took both to the suffering officer.

“Thanks,” she said appreciatively as she picked up her coffee and took a cautious sip.  
  
“Are you ok?” I asked with a concerned frown.

“Yeah, I will be once I sober up a bit…And because I know you’re wondering, no, Waverly and I didn’t get into a fight. I was helping Wynonna.”

“Ah! Say no more. I know how Wynonna is,” I chuckled. “So, where is that girlfriend of yours?”

“With Wynonna. They had a few things to talk about.”

“She scolding her for getting you drunk before five o’clock?”

“That, among other things,” she tried to smile but it turned into a wince instead.

“You should be at home sleeping this off,” I directed.

“Probably, but your apple fritter and cappuccino make things so much better.”

“I’ll take the compliment, though once you’re finished, I’ll take you home.”

“What? No. I can’t ask you to close the bakery so you can drive me home.”

“You’re not asking. I’m telling you that’s what I’m going to do. Now, eat and drink and we will be on our merry way.”

A half-hour later, the bakery was closed and I was cranking the heat up in the car as I drove Nicole home.

“What made you think to buy a home out here?” I asked as I turned up the long, frozen gravel driveway to her quaint little house. She didn’t respond until I had put the car in park.

“The city was just too crowded,” she stated with her head bowed. “I wanted space.”

“Space or solitude?”

She looked up and over at me and gave me a sad smile. “Solitude.”

“You’re definitely not alone now.”

“No, I’m not,” she smiled a genuine smile.

“I’m glad that you have the real Waverly back now.”

“She told you what really happened to her?” Nicole asked, her voice high and squeaky; her eyes bugged out in surprise.

I frowned in confusion at her. My statement had been an innocent one, or at least I thought it was. It didn’t deserve the overreaction that Nicole had given it. Did something...supernatural happen to Waverly? It wouldn’t be out of the question since Purgatory is Purgatory and Black Badge was in town. Maybe it really hadn’t been Waverly, but some sort of imposter and that was the reason for her mysterious behavior. My heart was racing a mile a minute. This was my chance to find out the truth, but I decided not to take it. I couldn’t be deceitful to either one of them like that.

“No, she didn’t explain to me what happened or why she stole only silver items from my bakery, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s because of who she works with.”

Nicole sighed heavily and nodded in agreement.

“Has she opened up to you about what happened?” I wondered.

“Some, but she’s still holding a lot back.”

“Hopefully she’ll tell you more.”

“Yeah, I hope so too.”

We sat there for a moment longer before Nicole announced that she should let me get back to the bakery.

“Thanks for the ride home,” she stated with a smile and leaned over to hug me.

“Anytime, Kiddo,” I responded, hugging her back.

I waited until she opened her door then gave her a wave and drove back to the center of town to serve my dinner rush. 


	13. Cravings and Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lateness of this chapter! Thanks for sticking with me. And thank you all so much for your comments and kudos!! It means so much to me!  
> <3 <3 <3

Two days after my conversation with Nicole, she and Waverly looked like their old lovey-dovey selves as they sat cuddled in one of my booths as I served them their morning coffee, a Boston creme, and an apple fritter. I smiled broadly as I left them to continue on with my duties.

It was a few minutes later when I heard Nicole laugh heartily and I turned around from my spot behind the counter just in time to see Waverly drop creme onto her blouse. She gave Nicole a perturbed look then surveyed the damage and used her finger as a napkin.

When Waverly looked back up, I caught the mischievous glint in her eye before she quickly swiped her finger over the tip of Nicole’s nose leaving a dollop of creme behind. Waverly’s giggles turned into a full-on belly laugh and I couldn’t help chuckling myself. Nicole’s face was priceless— her mouth hung open in a perfect ‘o’ shape and her eyes crossed as they tried to focus on the white blob that sat on her nose.

“You are in so much trouble,” Nicole said seriously as she removed the creme with her own finger.

Waverly instantly sobered. “Baby, I’m so sorry,” she apologized sincerely.

“Oh, you will be,” Nicole smiled devilishly and promptly smeared the creme all over Waverly’s lips.

Waverly’s shriek of surprise was prematurely cut off when Nicole caught her mouth with hers and kissed her tenderly. I looked away when it was clear that the two of them wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon and I busied myself with sweeping the floor.

When I finished, I glanced up at the two lovers and smiled when I saw them huddled together, Nicole’s arm draped over Waverly’s shoulder as they looked at something on her phone.

I went about my duties boxing up some cookies for a birthday party and packaging half a dozen pies before bringing them out front to wait for pickup. I was in the process of restocking the to go cups when Wynonna quietly entered the bakery and tiptoed her way to the counter.

“What can I get you today?” I asked with raised eyebrows at her odd behavior. Wynonna Earp didn’t do quiet, even if there was a promise of liquor. I know because I’ve tried before.

“Ummm…do you have any crullers?” she whispered.

“Are you feeling alright?” I had to question. Wynonna whispering was even stranger than her tiptoeing.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, now back to the crullers, woman. Do you have any?” she hissed still in a whisper.

“How many would you like?”

“Two, no, three. Actually, four. I want four,” she stated a bit uncertain.

“Four?”

“Alright, you twisted my arm. I’ll get six.”

“Oookkkay,” I said and started to fill her order. “You want anything on them?”

“Can I get powdered sugar, blueberries, Bavarian creme, chocolate chips, sprinkles, oh and cherries if you have them.”

My jaw dropped at her strange request. In all my years, I had never had a customer come in asking for more than icing, powdered sugar, or powdered sugar with cinnamon on their crullers or on any other goodie I made for that matter…except for that one time Diana Ferguson came in craving maple glazed donuts with cheddar cheese and bacon. But she had been six months pregnant when that had happened.

I looked Wynonna over and my eyes grew big in realization. Oh my god! Wynonna Earp was pregnant! And she was far enough along to be showing if that huge, oversized coat was any indication! I sputtered for a moment before finally finding my voice.

“Uhhh yeah, I have everything,” I stated.

“Awesomesauce,” she smiled.

It took another second to unglued my feet from the floor and gather up the ingredients that Wynonna wanted. Within a few minutes, I had everything ready and was ringing up the order on the register.

“You’re freaking awesome, Sue!” Wynonna boisterously announced as she started out the door.

“Wynonna?” Waverly hollered after her, but her sister paid her no heed. “When did Wynonna get here?” Waverly asked me.

“The chime a little bit ago was her. She’s been my only patron since you and Nicole,” I answered.

“Huh. She was so quiet. Wynonna is never that quiet,” she frowned in thought.

I shrugged my shoulders at a loss of what to tell her then started cleaning up my mess when she turned to discuss the weird event with Nicole.

The rest of my day and half of the next passed by without further incident until Rosita entered the bakery just after 3:00 PM.

“What in heaven’s name is that?” I asked as I pointed to the large item she held under her arm like a football.

“Oh, it’s a baby piñata,” she smiled and held it up to show me.

“Cute,” I replied. It really was, but I was rather curious as to why Rosita would have a baby-shaped piñata and why she would bring it into the bakery. I didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

“Ok, this is going to sound completely crazy, but can you fill this with donuts?” Rosita asked hopefully.

Her question was completely bonkers, but right up there with Wynonna’s hodgepodge of toppings on her crullers. “Uhhh, I can say that I’ve never been asked to fill a piñata with donuts before. Can I see it?”

“Sure.” Rosita handed the piñata to me.

“Mini donuts or donut holes would be your best bet,” I answered after checking it out.  
“I’ll go with mini donuts. The guest of honor hates donut holes.”

There was only one person in all of Purgatory who hated donut holes and she had made that very clear to me every single time I had them out as a free sample. Wynonna Earp called them ‘freaking donut wannabes’ and claimed she’d never step foot in my bakery again if I didn’t get rid of them. Obviously, that had never happened despite my deliberate attempts to make her go through with her threat by leaving donut holes out for almost an entire week a few months ago.

This little bit of knowledge confirmed what I had figured out the day before. Wynonna was pregnant and by my math, Henry was most likely the father considering their previous liaison. With Henry having moved on with Rosita, I could imagine the tension between them all. I had to applaud Rosita for extending the olive branch and helping out with what I assumed was a baby shower for Wynonna.

“Any specific kind you think your guest of honor would like?” I asked so that I wouldn’t let on that I knew exactly who the piñata was for.

“Could I get an assortment?” Rosita questioned hopefully.

“Sure thing,” I smiled at her then started picking out different kinds of mini donuts to make a full two dozen.

After Rosita gave her approval, I proceeded to wrap them and carefully place them inside the piñata. Since it was such a weird request, Rosita insisted upon giving me a sizable tip and after her insistence, I finally took it, though I used it to pay it forward to a young couple out on their first date later that evening.

It was just before dinner the next night when Waverly came in with a dreary look on her face.

“Hey, Sue,” she sighed heavily.

“Hi, Kiddo. Bad day?” I asked.

“You could say that, but I think a caramel latte will help.”

“Sure,” I agreed with a small smile.

She paid me for her order before going to sit in her usual booth. As I approached her with her latte and a Boston creme on the house, she was staring blankly down at her hands.

“Here ya go,” I said as I set the tray down on the edge of the table and Waverly acknowledged me with a slight nod of her head. “Do you want to talk?” I offered since I hated seeing her so sad.

“No, not really, but thanks,” she stated finally looking at me.

“If you change your mind, I’ll still be here,” I replied as I put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She nodded her head again and I left her to her own thoughts.

A half-hour later, Waverly was finished with her latte and was putting her mug in the dirty dish bin when she turned to me. “Would you like some help with the dishes or taking out the trash?”

Her question took me a bit by surprise. She had helped me clean up on numerous occasions over the years, but that was back before Nicole had come into her life. It made me wonder if Waverly’s bad day had included a dust-up with her girlfriend. It wouldn’t be that much of a stretch since the two of them had been hot and cold since the beginning of the year.  
  
“That would be great,” I answered. “The dishes have been piling up all day.”

“I’ll get right on it,” she stated very matter of factly then heaved the dirty dish bin into the air and took it to the back room.

We worked quietly together sprucing up the bakery for an hour before we took a break and I poured each of us a glass of water. I finally managed to make Waverly laugh when a retold an old story about the first time I had tried to make donuts when Nicole entered the bakery.

The instant that Waverly became aware that Nicole was there, the smile on her face disappeared and was replaced by a look of anger. I watched on in silence as the two of them stared at one another, neither of them blinking. The air was so thick with tension that I was having a hard time breathing.

Without a word, Waverly turned around and walked down the hallway only stopping momentarily to grab her coat off the hook in my office before exiting out the back door into the alley.

I watched her go too stunned to call after her. Once the door had closed behind her, I turned around to face Nicole, who had her head lowered. Clearly, it was more than just a spat between the two women and I wanted to know how serious things really were.

“Did you two break up?” I managed to ask despite my heart being in my throat.

“No, but with as mad as she is at me, that might change.”

“What happened?”

Nicole shifted her weight from foot to foot and shook her head. “I was stupid,” she said and gave a self-deprecating laugh as she raised her eyes to mine. “I withheld information pertaining to a personal matter of hers in order to try and prevent her from getting hurt, but by doing so, I hurt her even more.”

“You’re right. You were stupid. You were incredibly stupid to think that you could interfere with her life like that. You had no right to do it, even if it was to keep her from experiencing pain and suffering,” I stated, my voice stern.

Nicole visibly flinched at my frankness, but she took my scolding without rebuttal.

I let a second pass before continuing on in a softer tone. “But by admitting that to me, you realize why you shouldn’t have done what you did and are paying the price by having Waverly upset with you,” I finished.

“I do. I only hope that one day she can forgive me for the things that I’ve done.”

I was take aback by her comment. What did Nicole mean by ‘things?’ Was she not telling me the whole story about what recently happened between her and Waverly or had she done something else that would be upsetting to her girlfriend? I never got the chance to ask her because the walkie positioned on her shoulder crackled into life.

“Looks like I’ll have to go without my cappuccino,” she sighed heavily after answering the call from dispatch.

“Hang in there, Nicole, and stay safe.”

“Thanks, Sue. Will do,” she said with a small smile and walked out of my bakery.

I went about the rest of my night still thinking about Nicole and Waverly and hoping that they would work everything out.

The next morning was rather busy for me and I didn’t notice Sheriff Nedley standing off to the side with his hat in his hands and his head bowed until my last patron from my rush had exited.

“Sheriff, what can I get for you today?” I smiled at him.

He didn’t answer but looked up at me with sad eyes. The smile instantly fell from my face and a chill ran down my back. Something was seriously wrong because I had never seen Nedley remotely close to tears. Ever.

“Waverly or Nicole?” I asked automatically, knowing that he wouldn’t be in my bakery if it were anyone else.

He remained silent which caused me even more anxiety.

“Randy, who is it?!” I demanded shrilly.

“Nicole,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“How bad is it?” I yelled.

“The doctors,” he started, but had to stop when his voice broke. He swallowed hard, once, twice, then tried again. “The doctors aren’t confident that she’ll- she’ll...,” he trailed off, unable to bring himself to complete the rest of his sentence.

All of the air was sucked from my lungs leaving me struggling to breathe. This couldn’t be happening. I had seen Nicole heading home after her shift last night. We even waved to each other as she drove past me while I was locking up the bakery. There’s no way that she could be dying.

“No,” I whispered out loud, then with more bite, “No! She can’t be dying! She can’t! She just can’t!” I screamed as the tears streamed down my face.

My knees started to buckle and I felt light headed as the room began to spin. I hadn’t realized that I had almost collapsed on the floor until a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and hoisted me upright.

“Sue?” Nedley asked concerned.

I was too distraught to answer, so I buried my face into his shoulder and held onto him for dear life. After a few seconds, he tightened his hold, knowing that I desperately needed the comfort it provided.

“I have an officer waiting outside to take you to the hospital,” Nedley said gently in my ear several moments later.

“Thank you,” I sniffled, but I didn’t let him go.

It was a minute later when I felt the soft kiss on my head and Nedley’s arms loosen around me. “You should go.”

I pulled back from him slightly and found that his own face was tear streaked. I cupped one of his cheeks then leaned forward and placed a kiss on the other. “Thank you,” I repeated.

He nodded his head once then dropped his arms completely from me in order to get me my coat, cell phone, and keys from my office. He helped me lock up and walked me to the passenger side of the awaiting cruiser, opening the door for me. Once I was situated, he closed the door and gave me a small smile before his officer backed out of the parking stall and drove me to the hospital.

I sat numbly in my seat and wasn’t even aware that we had reached our destination until the officer said my name while standing next to my open car door. He offered me his hand to help me step out onto the pavement and I took it. I followed him into the hospital as if I were on autopilot, but I froze once I reached her room.

There was a part of me that didn’t want to go in out of fear of what I’d find behind the door. Nedley hadn’t told me how Nicole ended up in the hospital and I hadn’t thought to ask since I was tormented by the fact that the woman I viewed as a daughter could very well take her last breath today.

I shut my eyes tightly, took a deep breath, then reopened my eyes and pushed the door open. What I had expected to find behind the door was far from what I actually saw. The first thing I noticed was the lack of machines in the room. There were just the standard IV pole and pump and a heart and oxygen saturation monitor.

The second thing I noticed was that Nicole looked as if she were sound asleep at home. Outwardly, I saw no injuries that would point to her having been in a serious accident as the reason for her condition. I only saw a bandage about six inches wide wrapped around her right forearm.

And the last thing I noticed was the woman sitting by Nicole’s bedside. She most certainly wasn’t Waverly with her short, dark hair and chocolate colored eyes.

“Can I help you?” the woman asked with a curious frown as she stood from her seat.

“Sue Carson, I’m a friend of Nicole’s,” I answered.

“Shae. I’m Nicole’s wife.”

My jaw dropped and I did a double take as questions flooded my mind. Wife? Nicole was married? Since when? Had she been married the entire time she had been with Waverly? Did Waverly know? If not, why didn’t she say anything?

“Judging by your reaction, I take it you didn’t know Nicole was married,” Shae stated, dragging me from my thoughts.

“No, I didn’t,” I replied.

Shae shrugged her shoulders. “Why should she tell anyone when we don’t live together?” she asked rhetorically as she turned slightly to look at Nicole. “She’s moved on. Her girlfriend was here earlier.”

“Where’d she go?” I asked knowing that it was pointless to lie to the woman about Waverly since the two had met already.

“I’m not sure. I wasn’t exactly paying attention to her,” Shae admitted turning back to face me. “Does Nicole love her?”

I hesitated. “It’s not my place to say,” I replied.

“It’s ok. I know she does. She has to. She wouldn’t have made the same mistake twice.”

I frowned at her statement. “You think Nicole thought your marriage was a mistake?”

“We both do. It was one of those things that seemed like a great idea at the time, but I don’t think either one of us expected it to last even if it’s what we hoped. Maybe Nicole’s finally found something concrete here with…,” she trailed off and looked a bit embarrassed by the fact that she had so easily dismissed Nicole’s girlfriend.

“Waverly Earp,” I supplied.

“Waverly Earp,” Shae repeated. “Do you think she has?”

“Yes, I believe she has,” I answered honestly.

“I’m happy for her. My only wish is for her to get better so she can have the life she’s always wanted, the life she deserves to have.”

I stood there in an enormous surprise of Shae’s words. It took courage for her to not only admit that she wasn’t the right person for Nicole but also to accept that Nicole had found someone she truly loved and wish her well in life. And all of this in front of me, a stranger that she had just met minutes before. She had garnered my respect and my sympathy for having to deal with so much all at once.

“You deserve to be happy as well,” I said sincerely.

“Thank you…I’ll go so you can have some time alone with Nicole.”

“Shae,” I said calling her back. “What happened to her?” I gestured to Nicole.

“Waverly said she was bit or something like that.”

“Bit by what?”  
  
“I have no idea,” she stated then left the room.

I watched her go before claiming the recently vacated seat by Nicole’s bed. I looked upon the younger woman’s face and was thankful that the narcotics she was being given through her IV were doing their job and keeping her at peace.

I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that Nicole was dying. And all because she had been bitten! But by what? Shae didn’t have any clue, which probably meant that the doctors didn’t either. I was positive that Waverly did though. The whole thing stunk like Black Badge and it made my blood boil. Nothing good had ever come from that confounded agency. It had only brought misery to those I love and care about. The tears came then and they didn’t stop.

“Nicole, you have to fight. You can’t let this beat you…You have so much left to do in your life...You have Waverly. You have Nedley. You have me... Fight, girl, fight through this please,” I begged. I leaned forward then and laid my head next to hers on the pillow.

“Sue?” I heard Waverly ask awhile later.

I lifted my head, rubbed my bleary eyes, and turned to my left to look at her.

“How long have you been here?” she wondered.

“I got here not that long after you left. What exactly happened, Waverly?” I asked softly.

Her bottom lip started to quiver and her eyes teared before she spoke. “She was bitten by something.”

“What bit her?” I questioned and she looked at me with haunted eyes.

“Something...out of the ordinary,” she answered before she broke down crying. “She got bit because she was protecting me! It’s my fault! If I hadn’t gone off with Rosita…If only I had accepted her apologies…this wouldn’t have happened! She would’ve been safe at the homestead!”

I stood up then, gathered Waverly into my arms, and held her tight as she cried into my shoulder.

“You can’t play the game of what ifs,” I said as I gently stroked her hair once she started to quiet down. “You’ll only end up driving yourself crazy and I don’t want that for you. None of this is your fault. You didn’t do this to her.”

“But I did. She wouldn’t have been home if I hadn’t kept pushing her away.”

“Whose to say that whatever did this to her wouldn’t have shown up at the homestead? Or the sheriff’s office? Or my bakery? Nicole could’ve been anywhere. This didn’t have anything to do with your argument over the information she kept from you, you hear me?”

Waverly nodded her head in agreement against my shoulder and I hugged her for a little while longer before I relaxed my arms. She backed away and looked at me with watery eyes and red, blotchy cheeks.

“You should have some alone time with Nicole. I’ll be out in the waiting room if you need me,” I stated.

“Thank you, Sue, for everything.”

“You’re welcome,” I said then turned around to look at Nicole.

I gently placed my hand on her cheek and leaned down to place a kiss on her head. “You fight your ass off,” I whispered in her ear. “I love you, Kiddo.”

I kissed her head once more then righted myself. I gave Waverly a small smile and patted her shoulder before I left the room.

I made my way to the waiting room down the hall and stayed there for what felt like an eternity flipping through the mountain of months old magazines to try and stave off thinking about the different horrors that could be happening to Nicole. It didn’t work very well, so I tried pacing which only frazzled my nerves more than they already were.

Frustrated, I left the room to make my way back down the hall to see Nicole when I met Waverly along the way. She had her head bowed and I could hear her sniffling. I froze in my tracks and my heart plummeted. I must have made some sort of noise because the younger woman looked up and hurried over to me.

“Sue, it’s ok! Nicole’s ok! She’s awake and talking!” Waverly said with a watery smile as she held on to me.

“She’s-She’s alive?” I stuttered thinking I had imagined the good news.

“Yes! And I know she’d love to see you!”

My throat was too constricted with emotion to do more than nod my head and I quickly walked the rest of the way to Nicole’s room. When I entered, Nicole was sitting on the edge of the bed with a smile on her face talking with Wynonna.

“Nicole Haught, if you ever scare us like that again, you’ll be permanently banned from my bakery!” I yelled at her. I didn’t wait for a response before I crossed the room, pushed Wynonna out of my way (ignoring her cry of protest and subsequent obscene comment,) and pulled Nicole into a motherly embrace. “I have to know, are you completely in the clear?”

“Yes. Whatever was causing my organs to fail corrected itself. I’m 100% back to normal,” she answered while hugging me back.

“That’s amazing. I’m so glad that you’re ok.”

“Thank you, Sue. I’m lucky to have so many people that care about me.”

“That you do,” I agreed then kissed her head before standing straight again and framing her face with my hands. “When you feel up to it, you can have as many apple fritters as you want.”

“Sounds good. I’ll definitely take you up on that,” she smiled.

It felt so wonderful to have Nicole smiling at me when just a few hours ago she was on her deathbed that I had to give her another hug.

“I’ll let you get some rest. You’ve been through the ringer today,” I stated and she agreed.

We said our goodbyes and I left the room feeling lighter than I had all day. As I headed out of the hospital, the deputy that drove me was still there and gave me a lift back to the bakery.

I thanked him then watched him drive off before I entered my business. I thought about switching the sign back to ‘OPEN,’ but decided against it and headed to my office instead.

After sitting down in the chair at my desk, I proceeded to pour myself two fingers of bourbon and greedily gulped it down. I didn’t realize that I had been crying the entire time until I swept a hand over my face and felt the wetness of tears. This time, they were happy tears.


	14. Fictitious Phenomenon and Nitty-Gritty Admissions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so thankful that so many of you have enjoyed this story and have taken the time to hit the kudos button or commented! It means a lot to me. This chapter will conclude Season 2, but don’t worry, I will be back to continue this story once Season 3 has started!!

I sat at my desk for almost forty-five minutes nursing my third glass of bourbon as the memories of almost losing Nicole played on repeat in my mind. I was beyond happy that she had pulled through, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that due to the nature of Nicole and Waverly’s work, what happened that morning would end up happening again and the outcome might not be as favorable.

Swallowing the last remnants of my drink, I pushed away from the desk and stood up. The movement made my stomach lurch and I realized that I should have eaten before consuming any alcohol.

Swaying on my feet, I managed to put on my coat and made it to the front door of the bakery with the intent to walk to the diner a few blocks away when a warmth swept over me that had absolutely nothing to do with the bourbon. It only lasted for a few seconds and then it was gone as quick as it had come. I blinked twice then looked at the sign on the door.

“Time to open for my lunch crowd,” I said to myself out loud flipping the sign to ‘OPEN.’  
  
With a smile, I headed behind the counter to await my patrons.

I was in the process of cleaning up after my afternoon rush when Sheriff Haught came into the bakery wearing a sullen expression on her face.

“You having a bad day, Nicole?” I asked as I hung the rag I’d been using over my shoulder.

“Lonnie’s being irritating again,” she responded.

“Nah, that’s not it or at least not all of it,” I said and she let out a deep sigh.

“How do you always know when I’m not being entirely truthful?” she wondered in surprise.

“Because you always scratch your left wrist and look at your feet for a second before you lie.”

“Have you ever given thought about being in law enforcement? You could replace that good-for-nothing officer that thinks it’s acceptable to use a human missing person form for an animal despite me telling him otherwise.”

“But then who would run the bakery that you’ve visited on a daily basis since you moved here?” I countered.

“You could work undercover as the owner of Purgatory’s only bakery.”

“Tempting, but I think I’m better at handling dough and sprinkles than guns and handcuffs,” I chuckled. “So, what’s got you down?” I asked getting us back on topic.

“You already know,” she breathed out heavily.

And I did. It was the same thing that had bothered her already three times before. Waverly Gibson was marrying Perry Crofte and this time it looked like it would actually happen, well maybe. There was still two weeks to go before the big day.

“Nicole,” I lightly scolded.

“I know. I know,” she said and rubbed a hand over her face.

“Well, I think you need another reminder. If you’re as unhappy as you look, you need to talk to Shae. I understand that you promised until death do you part, but staying in a marriage that is making you miserable is hurting you both. And pining away for Waverly, whether she’s available or not, doesn’t help matters.”

“I know, but I keep thinking that if I give it a little more time things will get better, that we can go back to how things were when we first got married.”

“And how long have you been thinking that?”

“Too long,” she said with a sad sigh.

My heart went out to the young sheriff. I had never faced what she was facing in the thirty-nine years that I had been married, but I do remember that not everything had been roses in my love life.

“Jacob wasn’t my first love,” I said and caused Nicole to frown at me.

“He wasn’t?”

“No. I was fifteen, nearly sixteen when I fell head over heels in love with Benjamin Radcliffe. He was seventeen and the son of a cattle rancher. I can still remember the sparkle he had in his clear blue eyes like it was yesterday. His smile made me go weak in the knees and I got butterflies so bad in my belly when we first spoke that I nearly vomited twice,” I explained and laughed softly at the memory. “We started going steady and he gave me his ring when he graduated high school. I was on cloud nine and thought nothing could get in our way of happily ever after…but I was wrong.”

“What happened?” Nicole asked softly.

My eyes began to tear up and I used my sleeve to wipe them away.

“After he turned eighteen and graduated high school, he decided to enlist in the Army. It was the summer of 1969 and Benjamin volunteered to go to Vietnam. He told me that it was his duty to go and that he didn’t want me waiting around for him when he most likely wouldn’t be coming home. I did though. I waited and waited and even after his father brought me his dog tags, I still waited thinking that it was a mistake and I’d see him walk across the field to my house at any minute.”

I paused and let out a shaky breath in order to get my emotions under control, wiping my eyes once again on my sleeve.

“It took several years for me to finally let Benjamin go and to start living life again. After graduating from college, I took a job working at a bakery in the big city and that’s where I met Jacob…The reason why I’m telling you this, Nicole, is because things do happen and sometimes life doesn’t always turn out the way you planned it. It doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person or that things would be different if only you had tried harder. Sometimes love just isn’t enough and that’s ok.”

I fully looked at Nicole then and saw her tear streaked face and her lip quivering. I left my spot from behind the counter and took her into my arms.

“I feel like Shae settled for me and maybe…I settled for her too,” she cried into my shoulder.

“Then I think it’s time you figured that out.”

I felt, rather than heard Nicole agree and hugged her a little tighter.

“Now, what do you say you help me replenish my stock of vanilla dipped donuts? Miss Gibson wiped me out earlier,” I asked after a moment of silence.

“I’d like that,” Nicole sniffed as she pulled back from me.

I gave her a small smile before I let her go and we made our way to the back room with a quick stop to my office to get us each a tissue. We were working for a good twenty minutes when a voice came over her radio.

“Dispatch. Shots fired at Shorty’s Bar. Two victims. Any unit respond.”

My head snapped up hard from my work and my blood ran cold as I looked over at Nicole with wide eyes. She looked back at me with an equally horrified expression.

“Waverly!” we both yelled at the same time.

Nicole bolted from the room, yelling into her radio and I found myself following after her, running like a mad woman. By the time I had made it to the dining area, Nicole had already exited the bakery and was completely out of my view, but I kept going.

I barreled through the door and almost knocked over a young man that worked at the grocery store in my haste. I didn’t stop to apologize and ignored his questions about why I was in such a hurry. My only thoughts were about getting to Waverly and hoping that she was alright.

I saw Nicole enter Shorty’s and pushed myself harder even though my heart thudded in my chest, my lungs burned, and my legs were violently protesting the strenuous activity. Within seconds, the whirl of sirens and flashing red and blue lights caught up to me and I lowered my head trying to move even faster.

I reached the bar moments later and rushed past the officer standing outside as he yelled at me to stop. I ignored the order and went inside anyway and nearly slipped on the pools of blood just inside the door.

After I regained my balance, an arm wrapped around my middle and jerked me backward and out the door, but not before I saw Nicole place a comforting blanket around Waverly’s shoulders near the back of the bar.

I was deposited onto the sidewalk then spun around to see the stern face of the officer that I had bypassed a few seconds earlier.

“Mrs. Carson?” the officer asked his eyebrows going up in clear surprise at finding out that I was the culprit that had snuck around him.

“Yes,” I answered breathing heavily as I placed my hands on my waist.

“Are you ok?” he asked concerned.

“Yes…I…I…was…running…to…get…here,” I said between breaths.

“You ran?” The surprise was back.

“Yes…Waverly,” I said and pointed toward the door of the bar.

“I sympathize seeing as you and Miss Gibson are so close, but Mrs. Carson, you just can’t go running into an active crime scene,” he reprimanded lightly.

I nodded my head in understanding as I continued to try and slow my breathing.

“Alright. I’ll look the other way just this once because it’s you and I love your custard filled powdered sugar donuts,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you,” I said. “Could I…ask another favor? I’ll….give you one of…those custard donuts…for free,” I smiled back at him.

“Bribery, Mrs. Carson? You have yourself a deal,” he stated with a toothy grin.

“Can you find out…for sure if Waverly’s ok?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He tipped his hat to me then disappeared into Shorty’s.

I walked around in circles as I waited for the officer to come back to keep my muscles loose and my mind from running wild about Waverly. I knew that if she were gravely injured, Nicole would’ve taken her straight to the hospital herself instead of waiting for an ambulance, but until I knew for sure I was still going to worry.

“Mrs. Carson,” the officer called to me and I looked up to find him peeking out the door. “Miss Gibson says that she’s a little shaken up, but otherwise fine and that she’ll stop by later to see you.”

“Thank you,” I said with a sigh of relief.

“You’re welcome. Would you like a ride back to your bakery?”

“No, thank you. I know from experience that I need to keep moving or else my muscles are going to cramp up.”

“Alright then. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Mrs. Carson.” He smiled and tipped his hat before going back inside the bar.

After another relieved sigh, I started my walk back to the bakery. When I arrived, I immediately went to my office and took two ibuprofen. I could already feel the soreness settling into my calves and knew that I’d be in for a rough night if I didn’t get a handle on things now.

I kept moving for the remainder of the afternoon and finally sat down after my evening rush to eat my dinner at my desk. I was halfway through my spaghetti when I felt a warmth surround me. It didn’t last long, but it left me reeling once it went away.

I remembered drinking bourbon and then deciding to walk to the diner to eat something, but now I was sitting at my desk and eating spaghetti yet there wasn’t any food in front of me and I was still hungry and drunk.

I could recall speaking to Nicole about her crumbling marriage and the fear I felt when I heard there was a shooting at Shorty’s. And I had run to see if Waverly was ok! I hadn’t run like that in over three decades!

“What in Sam Hill was that?!” I groaned out loud.  
  
Had it all been a dream? I dismissed that thought quickly. I knew better than to think it could be that easy. No, what I had just experienced couldn’t be anything other than some supernatural event that featured Black Badge as its star. I felt like drinking again, but I decided against it. If I got started, I wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

Upon looking at the clock, whatever it was that I had just experienced hadn’t affected the time. It was still a few minutes after noon. Disgruntled, I pushed myself back from my desk and made my way out of the bakery and down the street to the diner.

As I waited for my lunch to be served, I wondered about Waverly and Nicole. I was pretty sure that they had been thrust into the same alternate reality that I had. What had become of them after I was told that Waverly was ok after the shooting? Were they ok now that we were back in our original timeline? Nicole had just been knocking at death’s door prior to all of this crap happening. I could only imagine what kind of trouble they had jumped feet first into. I started to worry and did the only thing I could do. I called Nicole.

“Are you and Waverly ok?” I asked before she even had a chance to say hello.

“Yes, we’re fine, Sue,” she answered.

“That’s a relief,” I sighed, “Where are you?”

“We’re at the homestead.”

“Good. Stay there. You need to rest after what happened this morning.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

I didn’t like her words, not one bit. They implied that she wasn’t planning on resting, but if she could squeeze it in, she would.

“Nicole, I’m not sure how much more my old ticker can take. You almost died and then this alternate reality shit. By the way, you and I are going to have a conversation about Shae, but right now I just need to know that you’re safe.”

“You don’t have to worry. I’m safe.”

“For now,” I finished for her, not convinced in the least that she would stay that way.

“The stakes are too high to sit back and do nothing. I need for you to trust that I know what I’m doing,” she pleaded.

“I trust you, but I don’t trust Black Badge.”

“This isn’t Black Badge. Black Badge’s been disbanded. This is Purgatory being Purgatory.”

Her words chilled me to the bone. If Black Badge was no more, then there was a new threat to the town that had Nicole willing to put her life on the line to stop it.

“I have to go, but we will have that talk,” she stated.

“Promise?” I asked then sniffed as tears began to roll down my cheeks.

“I promise.”

The line went dead and I hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time I heard Nicole’s voice.

I sat there distraught and when my lunch was placed in front of me, I realized that I no longer had an appetite. Knowing that I needed to eat, I forced myself to take bite after bite until I had consumed almost half of what was on my plate. I left the amount I owed on the table and slowly headed back to the bakery.

I spent an hour and a half flubbing up orders because I was too distracted by my earlier phone conversation with Nicole. She and Waverly were neck deep in something and I couldn’t just sit on the sidelines anymore. I had to do something, anything, to help them.

I was getting antsy as my last customer kept changing his mind on what he thought his girlfriend would want that I boxed up a dozen assorted and gave them to him on the house just to get him to leave. Once he was out the door, I closed up shop and headed towards the sheriff’s station, but I never made it there.

I stopped halfway down the block when I saw a woman walking down the center of the street. She had long, white hair and was wearing a white dress with a belt made of sparkly jewels and a black diamond in the center and had what looked to be black and a teal color covering her upper torso as well as the bottom eight inches or so of her dress. It wasn’t the strangest thing that I’ve seen happen over the years until I noticed there were two bodies floating in the air behind her.

As the woman walked closer, my blood ran cold and goosebumps appeared on my flesh. I could now see that one of the people floating in the air was Nicole. There was no mistaking the red hair that hung down from the stiff body as anyone but Nicole. Rage built up inside me and I balled my hands into fists as I stepped off the curb and walked into the street to block her path.

“Who the hell are you and what did you do to Nicole?” I screamed at the unfamiliar woman.

The woman stopped about ten feet from me and literally rolled her eyes at me. “I don’t have time for this,” she said arrogantly and opened her mouth, spraying something all over me.

My eyes went wide as my body started to freeze solid like a statue. Unbalanced, I began to fall backward. As I did so, I caught the smirk on the woman’s face. My last thought before I lost all consciousness was that bitch better hope she killed me.

I came to with my face touching what felt like cold concrete. I tried to open my eyes and move, but it was useless, as was trying to yell for help. I was still paralyzed, though surprisingly, I had the ability to hear.

I picked up on people talking. One voice sounded like Wynonna and the second voice was the woman who had incapacitated me. A third voice belonged to a woman that I couldn’t place. However, the fourth voice belonged to Henry.

It sounded as though the woman with the white hair was trying to barter with Wynonna to shoot Beth, the owner of the third voice, in exchange for her help taking down her husband, Bulshar. Beth wasn’t happy about this and told Wynonna to shoot Mercedes, the woman with white hair, or else she’d kill Wynonna’s sister.

That meant that Waverly was caught up in this mess too. My heart raced as I tried to move any part of my body. I needed to get up and help put a stop to all of this, but I couldn’t even wiggle my toes. When I heard Mercedes say that Beth wanted to feed Wynonna’s baby to their husband, I was almost thankful that I couldn’t open my mouth to throw up. Who in the hell were these people?!

The voices faded somewhat and I had to strain to hear what was going on. Damn my own curiosity because the next thing I heard was Wynonna saying that the baby was coming and to aim high and Henry replying that he would do his best. I knew what was going to happen next and I desperately wished that I could plug my ears with my fingers.

The gunshot was deafening and I wanted to curl up into a little ball and hide away. I couldn’t believe that Henry would murder Wynonna. A second shot, a split second later, caught me off guard and I wondered what had happened. Then suddenly, the invisible squeezing tightness around my body let go and I could move freely once more.

I quickly pushed myself up to stand and looked around to see that there were more people that had become the victims of Mercedes than Nicole, the other floating body, and myself. There were at least a dozen people in total and all of them were just as dazed and confused as to what had happened as I was.

I looked some more and spotted Henry and Jeremy helping an obviously laboring Wynonna into Shorty’s while Waverly and Nicole hung back to talk. After sharing a kiss, Waverly entered the bar and Nicole made sure the door was shut and presumedly locked from the inside before she started down the sidewalk.

“Nicole!” I shouted at her with my hands cupped around my mouth to help carry my voice to her as I hurried towards her. I needed answers and I needed them now.

She stopped and turned around visibly shocked to see me. “Sue?”

“What the shitty shit shit is going on, Nicole?! That woman with white hair paralyzed us both! I woke up in the street to hear that Beth wanted to feed Wynonna’s baby to her husband!”

“I can’t explain now!”

“What about all these people?” I pointed blindly to the disoriented citizens behind me.

“You have good instincts. I’m confident in your ability to come up with something to tell them, but I have to go. I’ll explain all of this to you when I know everyone’s safe!” Nicole stated before she turned around and ran down the street towards the sheriff’s station.

I stood there completely dumbfounded. I had absolutely no idea what to tell these people, but Nicole thought otherwise.

“Well, I wanted to help,” I mumbled to myself and brought my hands up to cover my face.

After taking a few moments and some deep breaths, I finally came up with an explanation to give to the bewildered citizens of Purgatory. It was flimsy at best, but I had to try something and spun around on my heel to address them.

“Thank you all for participating in this staged disaster drill for the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department!” I announced loudly and started clapping. It took a second, but a couple of them clapped back. “Now, onto the bakery for a free coffee and pastry for all of your hard work!”

At this, the crowd cheered and started making their way towards my business. With a sigh of relief, I followed behind.

An hour later I decided to close the shop for the night. I headed home to sit by the fire with my favorite quilted blanket and the last third of my bottle of bourbon to help me forget about the insanity of the day.

I went to work the next morning like I always did and wondered if Nicole would be in to give me the answers to my plethora of questions.

I had finished my nightly closing duties and was headed out the door when I spotted her walking down the sidewalk toward me. I waited until she entered and wordlessly made both of us a cappuccino and we adjourned to my office for what I knew would be a long conversation.

“Where would you like me to start?” she asked softly and took a sip of her coffee.

“How about with Shae?” I suggested and she didn’t hesitate in answering me.

“We met rock climbing and dated for a few months before we went to Vegas and woke up married. I didn’t mind that we had gotten married. Shae was fun and lively and I clung to her because I needed something like that after feeling like I didn’t matter for so long. It was great for awhile, but then things quickly fizzled out. She already had her career and I felt left behind. I applied to the police academy and upon graduation, I moved here,” she finished and took a cautionary sip of her cappuccino.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about her?”

“Because I was embarrassed. I got married after a night of slot machines and drinking. I don’t even remember the ceremony. And to have it end so soon…I felt so stupid for jumping into things way before I was ready for it.”

“How’s Waverly doing with all of this?”

“Surprisingly well after she yelled at me for having to find out while I was in the hospital.”

“And you deserved every word of it too for being such a dumbass and not telling her yourself months ago.”

“Yes, I did,” she agreed. “I should’ve told her myself back when all we were was just friends. Now, it looks like I was keeping secrets and telling lies.”

“Was your marriage what you were referring to when you said you hoped that Waverly could forgive you for the things that you had done the night you told me you’d kept some of her personal information from her?” I asked remembering that I had been curious by her use of the word ‘things.’

“Yes. I thought about telling her while we were already fighting so it would just be one big fight, but I chickened out when I saw how mad she was at me when I came here and she left without a word. I’ve screwed up so much with her in the short time that we’ve been together that I’m shocked she hasn’t kicked me to the curb yet,” she finished solemnly.

My heart went out to her. Nicole was caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. She was ashamed that her marriage was over and scared to lose the one person that made her feel whole. “You know you have something true when a person loves you, faults and all.”

“I just hope that she doesn’t end up regretting her decision to forgive me and what we have all falls apart.”

“You can’t let what happened in your relationship with Shae dictate how your relationship with Waverly will go. Yes, you both will make mistakes. It’s inevitable, but the key is to learn from them and move past them together,” I advised.

“And if we’re being nitwits, we’ll have this awesome baker lady ready to give us a swift kick in the ass,” she said and gave a small smile over her coffee cup.

“You bet ya!” I concurred with a laugh then quickly sobered. “Though in all seriousness, are you and Shae officially over?”

“I mailed the divorce papers to her today. She said she’d sign them and I’d have them back before the end of the week,” she sighed sadly then lowered her eyes in what looked like embarrassment and took a slow sip of her beverage.

“You are allowed to be sad when a chapter in your life ends, Nicole. You loved Shae and she loved you. There’s no reason to be ashamed of that. And to repeat myself when we were stuck in that alternate reality, sometimes love just isn’t enough and that’s ok.”

“I’m sorry about Benjamin,” she sniffed and put her coffee cup down on the desk.

“Thank you,” I said and reached across the table and covered her hand with mine. “I’m sorry that you’re going through what you are.”

“Thanks, Sue.”

I squeezed her hand before I let it go and sat back fully in my seat. “So, now that we’ve covered your love life, are you ready to tell me who almost killed you and what the hell is happening in Purgatory?”

She shifted in her seat a little, reached for her cup, and took a long drink.

“After what I went through yesterday, I deserve the truth,” I said not tolerating her stalling.

“You’re right. You do.” She let out a deep sigh before she spoke again. “Black Badge came to Purgatory with the intent of putting a stop to all of the crazy things that happen in this town. I was kept out of the loop until the night everyone was poisoned before Christmas last year. I know you know that all these reports and news stories are all a bunch of shitty cover-ups.”

“Like coyotes being responsible for dragging a person from their home or Wynonna being involved with Bobo Del Rey? That woman at least has the sense not to take him on as a lover,” I said making a face.

“Exactly. So, that only leaves explanations of…,” she trailed off trying to come up with the right words.

“Supernatural origins,” I finished for her and she nodded her head.

“I was bitten by one of these beings that took the form of Mercedes Gardner.”

“That’s the bitch that paralyzed me,” I snarled. “Is she dead now?”

“Yes, both her and the one that looked like her sister, Beth, are dead.”

“Were they the ones responsible for us getting tossed into an alternate reality?” I asked.

“Sort of. Waverly made a deal with Beth to get the antidote to cure me by making a deal with an actual witch whose plan was to get rid of Wynonna because she blamed her for her sister dying.”

“And that’s what that other place was— a Purgatory where Wynonna didn’t exist?”

“Yes.”

My head hurt trying to wrap my brain around all of this. “We should’ve been pouring shots instead of drinking cappuccino,” I remarked as I looked at the last remaining sip of my coffee before I tossed it back.

“Yeah, we should’ve,” she agreed with a chuckle and finished off her own beverage.

“How are Wynonna and the baby doing?” I questioned while setting my empty cup on my desk.

“She had a healthy baby girl…”

Nicole’s incomplete answer made me look over at her and I was startled to find tears in her eyes. My heart sank thinking that there were complications and Wynonna might not have made it. “Did Wynonna…,” I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“No, Wynonna made it through the delivery just fine, but she had to give up the baby. There are just too many threats and the baby would never be safe in the Ghost River Triangle,” Nicole sniffled and wiped an arm over her eyes to erase her tears.

“Is that why you put me in charge of figuring out how to deal with the other people that  
Mercedes paralyzed?”

“Yeah. I promised Wynonna that I’d make sure the baby got out of Purgatory.”

“Please tell me that she and Henry at least got to spend some time with their daughter,” I said horrified at the thought of them not being able to hold her at least once.

“They did.”

“I can’t imagine what they’re going through.” I wiped at my own eyes as the tears began to fall.

“Wynonna won’t even let Waverly in her room and Henry told Dolls that he was going to spend some time away from here, but didn’t give any specifics as to where he’s going.”

“They deserve a chance to grieve without an audience. I absolutely hated when the people in this town brought me condolence casseroles after Jacob died. The only one that actually brought me something useful was Gus and that was a twenty-year-old bottle of scotch that I finished before any of the casseroles.”

“I’d go the same route if I ever lost Waverly.”

“Enjoy every minute that you have with her and never take her for granted.”

Nicole shook her head in agreement then wiped at her eyes once more. “I should get back to her. She’s not handling the events of the past couple of days that well.”

“That’s understandable. She’s been through a lot,” I said as we both stood from our seats. “I want to thank you for bringing me into the loop and telling me about what’s been going on.”

“You’re welcome. You know, you’ve been there for me since I moved here and it’s been really nice to have someone care about me and look out for me the way that you do. You’re like a mother to me and I haven’t had that in a really long time,” she confessed.

Big fat tears appeared in my eyes at her words. I made short work of the space between us and wrapped her up in a warm embrace. “I will always be here for you, Kiddo, always.”

“Thank you,” she said and squeezed me tightly.

We hugged for a moment longer before I kissed the top of her head and moved back from her. We gave each other a watery smile then grabbed our coats and exited the bakery.

“Please take it easy, even if it’s just for a day,” I stated once I had locked the door behind us.

“I promise. Good night, Sue,” she said with a smile.

“Good night, Kiddo,” I smiled back.

Nicole gave me a wave before shoving her hands into her pockets and heading down the sidewalk towards her cruiser that was still parked in front of the sheriff’s station. I watched her for a second then got into my car and drove home.


	15. Sometimes You Have to Mess with Manure Before You Can Get the Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back for Season 3!

It wasn’t exactly a surprise to me when Nicole showed up at the bakery late the next afternoon dressed in her uniform.

“You promised me you’d take it easy,” I scolded before I started wiping down the counter next to the cash register.

“I know. That was my plan, but honestly I’ll get more rest at work,” she answered with a heavy sigh, “I feel like I’m in the way anyway. It’s not my family and I didn’t have to make the choice to give up my baby.”

I stopped my cleaning and looked up at Nicole to find her completely chest fallen. I couldn’t believe the next words that came out of my mouth. For the second time in my life, I was going to defend Wynonna Earp.

“Sometimes grief makes us lash out at those we love and care about the most. I know Wynonna didn’t mean to hurt you like that.”

“It wasn’t Wynonna that said it,” Nicole corrected with lowered eyes.

I took a sharp intake of breath and looked up at the ceiling. Would things ever be ok between Nicole and Waverly? Or were they destined to suffocate under all the bullshit? I took another swallow of air and focused my attention back on Nicole.

“Have you two managed to talk yet?” I asked gently.

“No. I thought maybe we would during my time off, but Waverly’s taking care of Wynonna and I’m interfering,” she replied sadly.

“Not interfering, just seeing someone you care about in pain and wanting to help. There’s no fault in that.”

“Apparently, there is. Anyway, I better get back to walking my beat. I just stopped in to say hi,” she said and quickly spun on her heel and made her way to the door.

“Nicole!”

She stopped with her hand on the door and turned her head around to look at me. 

“Give it time,” I advised.

Nicole nodded her head once then proceeded to leave.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a troubled sigh before returning to work myself.

I didn’t see Nicole for a few days after our talk, but when she finally came in for a cappuccino during my morning rush she seemed in much better spirits. She promised to pop by later and I wished her a good day at work.

I was sweeping up the dining area after my lunch crowd had left that same afternoon when I heard my door chime jingle. I turned around to greet my customer and the words instantly died on my lips. Standing before me was Sheriff Nedley looking like he had gone a few rounds with a truck and lost.

There were two butterfly closures holding together a cut to the right side of his forehead. An angry, deep purple bruise near the corner of his left eye had spread down the side of his face. Stitches held together a gash beneath a mostly swollen-shut right eye, a nasal splint adorned his nose, and his left hand was heavily bandaged to the point where it looked like a white stump.

I dropped my broom in horror and hurried over to him. “Randy! What the freaking hell happened to you?!”

“It’s ok, Sue. It was just a bit of good-natured fisticuffs.”

“Just a bit of good-natured fisticuffs?! You look like you got the shit beaten out of you!” I gestured wildly to all of his injuries.

“I look that good, do I?” he asked flippantly.

“Randy!” I admonished for his cheek.

He attempted an apologetic smile and winced as the action pulled at his stitches.

“You should be at home recuperating, not on the job,” I said, my voice softening as I reached out to touch his shoulder.

“I appreciate you being concerned about me, but I’m alright.”

“Please tell me that whoever did this to you has been arrested.”

“They’ve already received their sentence,” he replied.

I let out a sigh of relief and with it came the tears.

“It’s ok, Sue,” Nedley said and placed his good hand on my waist.

“After everything that’s happened with Nicole and Waverly, I didn’t think I had to worry about you too,” I sniffled.

“You’re worried about me?” He sounded surprised.

“Of course I am. We live in Purgatory.”

Nedley gave me a curious look, then nodded his head in agreement.

We stood staring at each other for a long moment before I realized just how small the distance was between us. My hand had moved from his shoulder to the back of his neck and two fingers had dipped below the collar of his uniform. His arm was firmly wrapped around my waist holding me a couple of inches away from his body and I was sure I saw a hint of desire flash in his eyes. At the same time, we leaned forward but before our lips could touch the door chime sounded and scared us both.

I quickly put several feet between Nedley and I and tried my best to look as though I hadn’t just been about to kiss the town sheriff, but I felt the heat upon my cheeks and knew it was a lost cause. When I finally looked to my customer, I was met with the raised eyebrow of Deputy Marshall Dolls. I blushed even further and tried to resist running for the safety of my office, but settled for shifting from foot to foot. He picked up on my embarrassment and let his face relax to his usual serious expression.

“Mrs. Carson, Sheriff Nedley,” he greeted in a monotone voice.

“Deputy Marshall,” Nedley answered back in an equally emotionless tone.

“Good afternoon, Deputy Marshall Dolls. What can I do for you?” I asked cheerily, trying to forget that I felt like a teenager that got caught with a boy by her father.

“I was wanting to purchase one dozen donuts,” the Deputy Marshall said.

“What flavor were you thinking? All glazed or assorted?”

“Assorted, please.”

I made my way behind the counter, grabbed a box off the back counter, and turned to wait for the Deputy Marshall to make his selection.

While I reached into my display case for each donut, I snuck several glances at Nedley, who looked more and more uncomfortable by the second. He kept shuffling his feet as he paced around the dining area. I couldn’t decide if he was trying to come up with a way to leave without looking like he was high tailing it out of the bakery or if he was wishing that the Deputy Marshall would go so we could talk. I couldn’t decide which scenario scared me more.

I finished up with the Deputy Marshall a minute later and wished him a good day before turning my full attention to Nedley. He looked up at me, but neither one of us wanted to be the first to say something.

“Would you like a coffee?” I offered to help break the awkwardness between us.

“Coffee would be nice,” he answered.

I busied myself with making his coffee and put it in a to-go cup for him. When I turned back around, Nedley was standing near the register fumbling one-handedly with his wallet trying to find tender to pay for his beverage.

“It’s on the house,” I said.

“I couldn’t,” he stated and continued to fish out bills.

I took the money knowing that never in a million years would I ever be able to convince him to accept a free coffee. With a smile, I handed him his cup and he took it, his fingers ghosting over mine as he did so, and it sent warm tingles down my spine.

“When,” he started then stopped and cleared his throat a couple of times before starting again. “Once I’m more presentable and all of these bandages are gone, would you like to go to dinner with me?”

I stood there surprised. It wasn’t just me feeling this way. There really was something going on between us. Something extremely unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome, I realized.

“I’d love to,” I smiled.

“You would?” he asked, not quite trusting his ears.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“Great,” he said and tried really hard to smile, managing to show a hint of his teeth this time before he lost the battle and winced.

We wished each other a good night and I couldn’t help smiling brightly as I watched him exit the bakery. I was positively giddy at having been asked out on a date and it was by Sheriff Randall Nedley.

I had always held him in high esteem and if I was being completely honest with myself, I had found him attractive since the moment I laid eyes on him decades ago. That attraction must’ve grown stronger without me ever noticing it, until now.

I still had a swing in my step when Nicole came back a couple of hours later and she quickly picked up on my good mood.

“What has you smiling like that?” she asked with a grin while she spun her hat in her hands.

“Like what? I’m not smiling any differently than I normally do,” I countered, trying to act all nonchalant, but even I knew I had failed miserably.

“Yes, you are! You know it and are trying to cover it up!”

My cheeks reddened.

“See! You’re all embarrassed! Something happened. Something good that has you all flustered and trying to lie to a cop.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head trying desperately to not give in and tell her.

“Spill,” Nicole said and I shook my head harder. “Alright. Don’t tell me,” she relented,”but whatever it is, I’m happy that you’re happy.”

“Thank you,” I said and opened my eyes. “Would you like a cappuccino, an apple fritter or both?”

“Both please.”

The next morning, Jeremy came into the bakery seeking coffee and donuts for himself, Nicole, and Deputy Marshall Dolls. While I worked on his order, Jeremy started jabbering on about this and that and eventually found his way onto the topic of Rosita.

“What’s going on with Rosita?” I asked. I hadn’t seen her since before everything went down and wondered how she was doing.

“Oh! She’s a rev…. uh uh, a backstabbing, two-timer!” he finished with an enthusiastic snap of his fingers.

I stopped mid pour of the Deputy Marshall’s coffee and gave him a look.

“Yeah, she cheated on Doc once, no, several times.” Jeremy quickly nodded his head up and down like he was trying to convince himself that what he was saying was true.

“Oookay,” I said disbelievingly and started pouring the coffee again. “Good riddance to her then.”

“Yeah, yeah. She was all wrong for him, so, so wrong for him. I wish she hadn’t turned out to be a rev— hussy!” he corrected himself again. “She had mad skills in the lab!”

I gave Jeremy a raised eyebrow at his behavior. That was the second time he amended what he was going to say about Rosita. I decided to file away the information for now and ask Nicole what a “rev” was the next time I saw her.

Unfortunately, the next time I laid eyes on Nicole, she was walking her beat past the bakery in the middle of my rush the next morning which prevented me from snagging her for a chat.

Nicole did come in late that evening but looked like she was in need of a shoulder rather than having me press her for answers about Jeremy’s slip ups.

“What’s up, Kiddo?” I asked as I slid a fresh apple fritter in front of her.

“Nothing,” she responded with an air of indifference and pulled off a bite of the warm treat and popped it into her mouth.

“Did you have any interesting calls today?”

“No.” She pulled off another bite and ate it slower this time.

“You give out any citations?”

“Nope.”

I pursed my lips tightly at her one-word answers. She obviously didn’t wish to discuss what was bothering her so I decided it was best to leave her to her own thoughts. I was halfway through cleaning up the mess I had made earlier on the back counter when Nicole spoke.

“Wynonna left.”

“Where’d she go?” I wondered.

“I don’t know and I don’t really care where, but I’m the one left having to pick up the pieces.”

I knew exactly what she meant. I remember the downward spiral Waverly had gone through when Wynonna had taken off for Greece without so much as note left behind for her sister. Gus and I did what we could to reassure Waverly that she was worthy of family, friends, and love, but I don’t think she really believed it until years later.

“I tried to tell Waverly that she’d be back, but she really didn’t want to hear it,” Nicole exhaled heavily.

“I can understand Waverly’s hesitance to believe that. The last time Wynonna left, she was gone for seven years. None of us were happy when she finally returned because we were sure she wouldn’t stay and we’d have to console Waverly all over again.”

“Do you believe that Wynonna will come back?”

“I do,” I answered quickly and couldn’t believe I was about to come to Wynonna Earp’s defense— again! “She gave up her baby not by choice, but because her hand was forced and it was the only way to keep her child safe. She needs some time to come to terms with that.”

“And the best way for her to do that is by skipping town and not telling her sister where she’s going or how long she’ll be gone?” Nicole spat out.

“I’m not saying it was right, but I do understand it.”

“Then explain it to me! How could she do this to Waverly after everything?! Especially right after Waverly discovers she isn’t even an Earp!”

The information hit me like a ton of bricks. My mouth fell to the floor and I blinked once, twice, trying desperately to wrap my brain around what Nicole had said. Waverly wasn’t an Earp? How was that possible?

“What?” It was the only word I could come up with.

“Nothing,” Nicole tried to backtrack.

“Nicole, what do you mean that Waverly isn’t an Earp?” I screeched.

Nicole bit her bottom lip clearly trying to decide if she should explain or wait for Waverly to discuss it with me.

“Ward isn’t her biological father. A DNA test confirmed it. That’s the personal information that I kept from her. I saw the results and knew she’d be devastated.”

I sucked in an audible breath of air and let it out slowly as I ran a hand through my hair. Waverly had made it her mission to find out everything she could about her ancestors. She had enjoyed learning about the history of her family so much so that it had led her to choose it as a college major and earn her degree. To find out that all of her hard work was for a family she wasn’t even a part of had to be complete agony.

“Has Waverly gotten any answers?”

“No. She hasn’t had a chance to talk to Wynonna yet. The shit just keeps hitting the fan.”

“Hopefully things will have calmed down by the time Wynonna returns and they can talk.”

“I hope so, too. I should get going. My shift’s over in an hour and I still have a mountain of paperwork to do.”

“Take care, Kiddo, and give Waverly a hug for me. There will be goodies waiting for her when she’s ready to visit.”

“Thanks, Sue.”

It was a few days later when Waverly made her way alone to the bakery. She gave me a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes and took a seat at her usual booth. I brought over a caramel latte and two Boston Cremes and sat down across from her.

“How are you doing?” I asked softly.

“Ok, I guess. It’s too quiet at the homestead and Nicole’s at work.”

“You know you’re always welcome to stay here as long as you’d like. It’s been rather slow today and an old spinster like me could use the company,” I joked and it earned me a genuine smile from her.

“You aren’t a spinster.”

“I’m not?”

“No, not by any definition,” Waverly stated before explaining further. “The original definition of spinster was meant to describe a woman’s occupation of spinning yarn in legal documents. Spinning yarn was usually done by unmarried women because they didn’t have the economic status and job opportunities that married women were given by their husbands. The term evolved and dropped the focus on occupation and instead decided to concentrate on her never-have-been married status. Fast forward 500 years and the word has taken on the more derogatory meaning of an unmarried woman who is childless, completely repressed, and persnickety.”

“Well now, let’s break this down, shall we? I am unmarried but have been married before. I’m not childless. I’m freaking nowhere near proper, fussy, or demanding. And I may be repressed, but that only pertains to certain nighttime bedroom activities,” I finished with a suggestive wiggle of my eyebrows.

Waverly’s eyes widened at the same time her cheeks flushed crimson. She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth to try and stop her giggles, but it soon turned into a full belly laugh complete with tears and splitting sides.

“Thanks, Sue. I needed that,” Waverly said and reached for a napkin from the dispenser on the table to wipe her eyes.

“Any time, Kiddo.”

We sat together for a while longer talking about the warmer temperatures that were headed our way in the next couple of days before I had to leave her to help the patron that just walked in.

“Hey, Sue?” Waverly asked while I dusted the donut crumbs off the counter into my hand, “Would you mind if I helped you out with whatever you needed?”

There really wasn’t much to do, but her eyes were hopeful and I didn’t have the heart to send her home.

“Sure. There are some dishes soaking that could probably use some attention,” I replied.

“On it!” she smiled brightly.

I was amazed that Waverly found enough things to do to keep her busy well into the evening. Once Nicole’s shift had ended, she dropped by and had a treat before she and Waverly left to go home.

I watched them go with a smile on my face then started closing up shop.

With Wynonna and Henry having left Purgatory in different directions, I was positive that there was nothing left to keep Nicole and Waverly away from taking a much needed breath to decompress from the constant barrage of chaos they had experienced over the last several weeks. It was supposed to be a time for them to regain their footing before working through their own problems. Instead, their time alone had caused an uneasiness to settle between them.

I first began to notice that something was amiss when the two of them came in several days after Waverly had stayed to help me. Their cheeriness seemed artificial and forced. I caught Waverly momentarily stiffen in panic when Nicole took her hand and Nicole’s smile at Waverly’s exuberance didn’t hold its usual intensity.

It progressed to the point where they started to become distant with each other. Their smiles never reached their eyes and there was no hand holding or touching between the two of them. Waverly had stood a good distance away from Nicole at the counter the three times they had been in and Nicole purposely avoided Waverly’s fingers when she handed her their bag of goodies. Their behavior continued even after Wynonna and Henry had returned from their sojourns.

Waverly had come into the bakery so often to lend a hand that patrons thought I had given her a job. I didn’t mind at the beginning, but some of my customers started asking me if my health was failing and I began to tire of fielding questions and being the subject of whispers.

It didn’t help matters any when Nicole worked a week of consecutive night shifts. Not only was Waverly at the bakery practically every day, she was also rather solemn and didn’t say much at all.

Midway through Nicole’s second straight week of nights, I became suspicious that she was only working those shifts so she could avoid having to be around Waverly for more than a couple of hours. My suspicions were confirmed when I pressed Nicole late one evening. 

“So no officers are sick, on vacation, or on family leave?” I questioned as I passed her a cappuccino in a to-go cup.

“No. Everyone’s good,” she answered.

“Then why did you suddenly get switched to nights?”

“I need to experience both days and nights in order to better understand each shift so I can make suggestions on what the department can do to run more efficiently.”

Her answer sounded incredibly official, but there was one major flaw in it.

“Didn’t you conduct the same research a couple of months ago after Sheriff Nedley told you he’d like you to take his place once he retires?” I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Nicole looked like a deer caught in headlights, but her face relaxed quickly once she decided on an explanation. “That was for the spring,” she squeaked, “This time is for the summer. I’ll do it again in the fall and winter.”

“You have an answer for everything,” I stated unimpressed and crossed my arms over my chest.

She shrugged her shoulders in response, then grabbed her bag of apple fritters, and wished me a good night and safe drive home.

I could only shake my head as I watched her leave.

Everything came to a head three days later. Waverly was in the back late that evening finishing up the dishes. It had been a particularly busy day with my usual rush of customers plus two locals who ordered birthday cakes, another wanting a wedding  
cake, a big city business owner requesting me to cater their morning business meeting, and a bus full of tourists wanting some goodies and coffee before they continued on with their journey.

With Nicole still on nights, she entered the bakery before the start of her shift wanting a couple of apple fritters and a large cappuccino to help her burn the midnight oil.

The second the door chime sounded, Waverly was out of the back room in a flash, eager to help the patron until she saw who it was. She stopped dead in her tracks then quickly spun on her heel and bolted down the hall.

“WAVERLY EARP! GET BACK HERE!” I scolded angrily without taking my eyes off of Nicole just in case, she too, decided to skedaddle.

It took a few seconds, but Waverly shuffled her way back to the front room and stood beside me with her head bowed.

“This has gone on far too long and I’m giving you two the swift kick in the ass you deserve! I don’t know what exactly the problem is, but it’s time for you,” I gestured to Nicole, “to stop hiding behind your badge and you,” I pointed at Waverly, “to stop holing up in this damned bakery! I don’t want to see either of you in here until you to start talking and working through all of your shit!”

At the end of my tirade, I had both of them looking at me with slack jaws and wide eyes as they nodded their heads in understanding.

“Out! Now!” I growled pointing towards the door and the two of them left posthaste.

I closed my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose, and let out a great sigh. I hated having to do it, but their antics had just become too much for me to handle any longer.

“Do I even want to know what all that was about?” a gruff voice said from over near the door.

I dropped my hand and opened my eyes to see Randy (Yes, Randy.) standing just inside the room. He looked much better than before. The butterfly closures, nasal splint, and stitches were long gone, but the cut under his right eye was bright pink where the skin had fused together. He could see clearly out of both of his eyes now, the cut to his forehead was completely healed, the bruise to the left side of his face was still visible, but had faded to a yellow color, and he had regained most of the use of his left hand except for two of his fingers that were splinted.

“No, you don’t,” I answered.

He nodded his head and made his way to the counter.

“You working the night shift too?” I asked.

“No. I’m on my way home and thought I’d drop by to see how you were doing.”

I felt the color hit my cheeks and smiled bashfully. “That’s very sweet of you.”

He smiled back and the butterflies hit me full force. I silently swore at myself to get a grip and stop acting like some teenage girl with her first crush.

“My doctor said I should get these off in a week,” he said holding up his splinted fingers, “and he thinks this bruise will pretty much be gone by then as well.”

“That’s great!”

“I was wondering if you were still interested in going out to dinner with me?”

“Of course I am. I’m looking forward to it.”

“What day would work best for you? I know Fridays and Saturdays tend to be busier for you.”

“They are,” I agreed. “Tuesdays and Wednesdays are my slowest days. I can close early and it won’t be no problem.”

“Would Tuesday, the 26th at 7:00 be alright?”

“That’d be perfect.”

We wished each other a good night and I watched Randy leave before I headed to the back room with a big grin plastered on my face.

I saw hide nor hair of Waverly and Nicole which was perfectly fine with me. It was a much needed break from the suffocating tension between them. After all, I had a date to prepare for.

At promptly 7:00 PM on June 26th, there was a knock at my door. I took a deep breath and smoothed down my solid, light blue blouse and long, black skirt and straightened my pearl necklace before opening it to find Randy on the other side.

He was wearing a white shirt paired with a blue patterned tie and black trousers. He smiled and brought out a bouquet of yellow irises from behind his back.

“These are for you,” he said nervously.

“They’re lovely,” I smiled and breathed in their sweet smell. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Let me put these in some water and we can go.”

Randy stepped inside and waited for me as I headed into the kitchen for a vase. I admired the flowers once I had finished arranging them and smiled before picking them up and setting them on the table I had in the foyer.

We drove to a lovely restaurant two towns over and continued to make small talk until our entrees arrived.

“How’s Chrissy doing?” I asked taking the plunge into more personal topics.

“She’s doing much better. Therapy’s been good for her.”

“That’s great. Is she liking the big city?”

“She is. It’s a much faster pace so it keeps her busy and not dwelling on the weird things that have happened to her in Purgatory.”

“I’m glad. I bet you miss her.”

“I do. I’m going to see her this weekend and think I’ll bring her a box of your assorted donuts. I feel she misses your treats more than she does me,” Randy smiled.

“I’m flattered,” I blushed at the compliment. “Though, you’re pretty tough competition.”

The tips of his ears tinged pink at my answer and I had to smile.

“How’s Rebecca and her husband doing?”

“They’re doing well. Rebecca’s expecting!” I grinned, excited about being made a grandma again.

“Congratulations,” he smiled back. “How old is your grandson, Jason?” he guessed at the name.

“You’re correct. Jason turned four last month. Rebecca said that he’s all upset because he wants to go to kindergarten now and not wait until next year.”

“He sounds like a real go-getter.”

“He is. He wants to go to school so he can graduate and become a spaceman.”

“I remembering wanting to be a spaceman too at that age. And then a fireman and a lawyer, and a professional football player when I got into high school.”

“If memory serves me, you were pretty good at football.”

“I was until Jackson Miller from the our rival school broke my collarbone and tore my ACL. My career was over before it even started. It was a cheap shot and I still can’t believe he didn’t get ejected from the game,” Randy complained.

“I had forgotten about that,” I grimaced. “You were laid up for quite a while, weren’t you?”  
  
“My whole senior year. I suppose I shouldn’t be too bitter about it. If I hadn’t gotten injured, I wouldn’t have even thought about a career in law enforcement.”

“It’s hard for me to be too upset about your football injury. I rather like that you stuck around and became Sheriff,” I said then turned red at my admission.

“I’m glad I stuck around, too,” he grinned.

We continued chatting and learning more about each other throughout dinner and were just receiving the check from our waiter when there was a loud commotion from the front of the restaurant.

At the same time, Randy, our waiter, and I twisted our necks to see what was going on. Wynonna Earp stood at the threshold of the dining area with her long barreled pistol pointed in the air. Her eyes systematically scanned the room and came to a rest on our waiter.

“You thought I’d forget about you,” Wynonna slurred and waved her gun wildly at him.

The woman was absolutely plastered and I felt bad for our waiter for having been singled out by her. That was until he answered her back.

“It’s the Earp whore and she’s drunk off her ass,” he growled.

“Whore nooooo. Drunk yuppers. I’m three shits to the wind, but I betchya I can still shoot straight,” she smirked.

Our waiter made a break for it towards the kitchen and Wynonna took off after him, but ended up tripping over herself and went spiraling head first into what food and drink was left on our table. Both Randy and I quickly stood up and moved away to avoid getting anything in our laps.

“Oh hey there Nedley!” Wynonna giggled as she righted herself. She looked a fright with a glob of my mashed potatoes streaked in her hair and Randy’s steak sauce smeared all over her right cheek.

She turned to me and frowned before a smile crept on her lips and she turned back to Randy.

“You sllllyyyyyy fluffy mustached fox! You’re tryin to score free coffee and donuts for life! Good for you!” Wynonna attempted to whisper, but instead announced it to the whole room, and punched Randy hard in the shoulder.

“Earp, isn’t your suspect getting away?” Randy responded in a very even voice despite the reddening of his face.

“Shit!” she responded and followed after our waiter. “Send me a wedding invitation!” she tossed over her shoulder then smashed her way through the kitchen doors.

Moments later, we heard a gunshot and Randy and I exchanged looks, mutually deciding that it was time to call it a night. 

He settled the bill and we drove home in relative silence, neither of us knowing what to say after Wynonna’s spectacle. Upon arriving at my home, Randy walked me to my door.

“I did have a wonderful time tonight,” I said with a smile.

“I did as well,” he smiled back.

“Enough to want do this again?” I tried not to let the hope creep into my voice.

“Yes, but minus the Wynonna.”

“Oh, that’s a given.”

We shared a laughed before silence took over. Randy visibly let out a deep breath and moved in slowly. I met him halfway and we kissed lightly.

“Good night, Sue.”

“Good night, Randy,” I beamed then turned to enter the house.

I stood inside and watched him walk to his car. I gave him a wave and he waved back before backing his car down the driveway and heading home.

 


	16. Summer Lovin’

It was three days before I saw Randy again. Purgatory had been running him ragged and I sat the poor man down at one of the booths in the bakery for a much needed coffee and sweets break.

“I don’t want to go back,” Randy said with a sigh after checking his watch.

“You said that a half hour ago and still haven’t left,” I smiled over my second cup of coffee.

“Well, these cherry and cheese pastries are good.”

“Is that the only reason?”

My heart pounded waiting for his answer. How is it that I could be this smitten this quickly? Then I remembered a conversation I had with Waverly nearly a year ago. I told her that emotions didn’t own calendars. Apparently, that was true for me as well.

“It’s an added bonus.”

His response had me blushing profusely.

“I do need to go,” Randy said a moment later. “God knows what kind of trouble everyone’s gotten into.”

“Alright. I should probably get back to work too,” I sighed and we both stood up from the booth at the same time.

“I’ll try to stop by tomorrow,” he smiled.

I nodded my head and leaned in to accept his kiss, but before I could, the door chimed.

“Blah! Get a room you two!” Wynonna whined and slapped a hand over her eyes.

“We had one until you walked in,” Randy cracked before giving me a kiss, not caring in the least that we had an audience.

I smiled as I watched him go then frowned as Wynonna made the gesture of pointing down her throat and acting like she was going to throw up.

“You guys are gross. I could’ve lost my appetite from being subjected to watching two old people make out,” Wynonna shuddered.

“Could have?” I raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“You-You-You know what I meant! Now, are you going to take my order or what?” Wynonna stammered and I had to laugh.

“Sure. I’ve been kicking around some new flavors and I have to say the whisky infused ones are my favorite if you’re interested.”

“Whisky infused?! Shut up and take all my money!”

It would be another two weeks and a few dinner and movie dates with Randy before Waverly made her way to the bakery. She was hesitant, stopping just inside the door until I gave her the go ahead to venture up to the counter.

“I’m sorry for using you as an excuse not to talk to Nicole,” Waverly said softly. “I took advantage of you and your hospitality and I shouldn’t have.” She looked down at her hands on the counter and waited for my reaction.

“No, you shouldn’t have. I don’t appreciate being used and it’s not my responsibility to keep you and Nicole together.”

Waverly’s shoulders slumped further and she laid her head on top of her hands.

I let her stew for a moment before I spoke again.

“I do accept your apology.”

Waverly picked up her head to look at me, tears in her eyes. “You do?” she asked, her voice doubtful.

“Yes, Dear, I do,” I confirmed and put a hand on both of hers. “What made you think I wouldn’t?”

“Because lately I just can’t seem to catch a break,” she said and let out a self- deprecating laugh. “Actually, that’s the story of my life.”

My heart clenched. I hated that Waverly always seemed to take the brunt of everything bad. I honestly thought that Nicole would change that, that she would be Waverly’s light in the dark. But it had only led to more heartbreak and I felt partially responsible for it since I encouraged both of them to go after a spark that I saw between them.

“I’m sorry, Waverly,” I said meekly.

“It’s not your fault, Sue. You didn’t abandon me to a drunk that isn’t even my biological father. You didn’t tell Nicole to hide her marriage from me. You, Gus, and Curtis have been the only constants in my life and now... it’s just you. I only have you,” she sobbed.

Her words drove me out from behind the counter and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

“I know things have been shitty for you. People have left. People have died. People have been deceitful. But you’re forgetting, people have and do love you. Waverly, you are loved. You’re loved by Wynonna, by Nicole, by Gus, by Henry, Jeremy, and Deputy Marshall Dolls, by me, by your friends, and I know for a fact that your mother loves you too.”

“Yeah, she loves me so much that she hasn’t seen me since before I lost my first baby tooth.”

“I don’t know what happened to make her leave, but that woman doted on you. You were the reason she started smiling again.”

Waverly’s grip on me tightened and she laid her head on my shoulder as she cried.

“Did you know or ever suspect that Ward wasn’t my father?” she hiccuped.

“No, I didn’t. There wasn’t any reason to. Your name starts with a “w” just like your sisters, you had the last name of Earp, and Ward drank and yelled just like he always did.”

“You never heard whispers from anyone in town that Mama was having an affair? Gus and Curtis never said anything to you?”

“No. I’m just as surprised as you are to learn that he isn’t your father. Have you talked to Wynonna about this?”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t remember anything besides being at the hospital after I was born. Willa knew. I found an old diary of her’s. She wrote that there was something wrong with me and that I’d never be one of them,” she finished dejectedly.

“Waverly, I want you to listen and listen good,” I said as I pulled back from her to look her in the eyes, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Willa was just a jealous little bitch and I won’t have you believing a damn word of hers for even a second.”

Waverly’s only response was to pull me into a tight hug.

“Thank you,” she said after a few moments and loosened her hold on me.

“You don’t have to thank me, Kiddo. It’s what I’m here for.”

Waverly sniffled and I grabbed her a napkin from the dispenser on the table next to us.

“Would you like a latte or a Boston creme?” I asked.

“A latte would be nice.”

“I’ll go get you one.”

Waverly took a seat and I went to make her drink. When I returned, I placed her steaming mug in front of her and took a seat across from her as she put her phone down after finishing a text. If it were possible, she looked even more sullen than she had earlier and I didn’t need three guesses to figure out why.

“Did Jacob ever keep things from you and you found out about it later?” Waverly asked.

“Yes and I did the same,” I answered honestly.  
  
“How’d you manage to stay together?”

“I think partly why we stayed together was because we weren’t hiding things to be malicious, but because we were scared or embarrassed that our gamble didn’t pay off or that we completely missed the mark when we said we could do something. I think the other part was realizing that we were two separate people even though we were a couple. We both had faults and sometimes those faults were major ones. As individuals, we both had to figure out what we could live with and what was beyond our thresholds to handle.”

Waverly took in a breath and let it out slowly as she thought over what I had said. “I don't know that I can live with Nicole being married.”

“Is it that she didn't tell you or is it more than that?”

“It's all of it. She just met her and got married and stayed married. She didn't have the decency to tell me before I made a fool of myself in Nedley's office. She never told me all those times we stayed up late talking or told me before we took that next step and had sex. It just feels like Champ all over again only a thousand times worse because I actually fell in love with her. I was stupid to think that maybe one day we would get married,” she finished with tears streaming down her face.

Tears stung my own eyes and I reached across to take Waverly's hand in mine. “Dear, it's not stupid to hope for a future.”

“It is when you're me.” She pulled her hand away from mine and got up from the table.

“Waverly,” I said as I stood up and turned around only to find her halfway to the door. “Waverly!” I called, but she ignored me and left.

I decided the best thing to do was to let her go. She was hurting and didn't need an audience. With a heavy heart, I picked up Waverly's mug and went to do the dishes.  
  
When Waverly came to the bakery the next evening still upset, I enveloped her in my best motherly hug and kissed the top of her head.

“I love you, Kiddo.”

She let me go and nodded her head.

“Would you wanna give an old lady a hand and help her make six dozen glazed donuts for a business meeting tomorrow morning?” I asked.

A small smile appeared on her face and she nodded once more.

The next night I was in the back room cleaning up when I heard the door chime. I poked my head around the corner and found Nicole standing just to the right of the cash register.

“Come on back,” I hollered and returned to my duties.

Seconds later, Nicole entered the room. I glanced over at her as she rolled up her uniform sleeves and started washing one of the dishes soaking in the sink.

“I’m sorry that I hid at work to avoid talking to Waverly and that you had to yell at me to get my act together,” she said after a moment. “You deserve better than that from me.”

“This isn’t my relationship, Nicole. It’s not my job to make things better between the two of you,” I responded.

“I know and I’m sorry. It was just easier to avoid having to hear her tell me how badly I  
screwed up, but that backfired on me and made things even worse.”

“A lesson learned?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

The two of us worked in silence until the bakery was ready for the next day’s workload.

“What’s a ‘rev’?” I asked.

Her eyes widened. “Where’d you hear that from?”

“A patron.” I wasn’t about ready to tell her that it was Jeremy who let the word slip, twice.

Nicole’s eyes narrowed in thought for a moment before she became resigned to the fact that there wasn’t a way out of this.

“Do you still keep bourbon in your office?”

“Yes.”

“Good. You’re going to need some.”

That intrigued me and I spun on my heel and headed to my office. I grabbed the bottle of alcohol from its place in the bottom drawer and poured myself two fingers.

“You want any?” I asked.

“Yes.”

I poured her the same amount and she took a large gulp, then made a face. I laughed at her as I took a seat at my desk then took a sip from my own glass.

“What’s a ‘rev’?” I questioned again.

“Rev is short for revenant,” she answered and didn’t supply anything else.

“And what is a revenant?” I was unfamiliar with the term, but with this being Purgatory, I was positive it dealt with something supernatural.

Nicole sighed and took another gulp of her drink. “A revenant is someone who’s returned from the dead.”

I stared at her for a moment, then swallowed my entire glass of bourbon.

“So, something like a zombie?” I asked and poured myself another two fingers.

“Not quite.”

“Then what?”

Nicole looked down at her cup and swirled around the contents, obviously trying to stall as long as she could.

“Stop pussyfooting around and just tell me,”  
  
“Revenants are the resurrected individuals that Wyatt Earp shot and killed. Bulshar cursed Wyatt and brought back all 77 of his kills. When each one of Wyatt’s descendants turns 27, they become the Heir and are tasked with hunting down the revenants that are trapped in the Ghost River Triangle and sending them back to hell with Wyatt’s pistol before the revenants kill them. Presumedly, once all 77 have been sent back to hell, the curse will be broken.”

I nodded once then downed my bourbon all in one go.

“That explains how Wynonna became a deputy,” I said and set my empty glass on my desk. “I always wondered about that and why she started carrying around that big ass gun. She’s the Heir.”

“She is,” Nicole confirmed.

“Is that why she gave up her baby? So the revenants wouldn’t hurt her?”

“Yes. Alice is safe as long as she stays away from the Ghost River Triangle.”

“Alice is the next Heir since Waverly isn’t a descendant of the Earp’s.”

“That’s right.”

I covered my face with my hands and let out a long breath. A curse against Wyatt Earp and his family would explain a lot, like why a 150 year old newspaper article could help Deputy Marshall Dolls with a current case and why I had seen people I could have sworn had died or left Purgatory decades prior show up again looking as old as when they had left. I had always thought it was a child or other family member, but now I knew the truth. They were revenants.

“Rosita is a revenant,” I stated and dropped my hands into my lap.

“Yes. How’d you know?”

“Jeremy, but,” I interjected, holding up a hand towards Nicole before she could say anything, “the poor guy didn’t mean to tell me. He tried to cover it up by saying that Rosita cheated on Henry.”

“Well, she didn’t sleep with someone else, she just made out with them,” Nicole said bitterly and looked down at her bourbon before raising the glass to her lips and draining the remainder of the liquid.

Her behavior suggested that she was more upset about Rosita kissing someone other than Henry than she should be.

“Who’d she make out with?” I asked hoping upon hope it wasn’t with who I thought it was.

“Waverly.”

I cringed at this new wrinkle.

“It happened after she found out I hid her DNA test from her. She went with Rosita to a spa and they were in the hot tub drinking champagne,” Nicole explained before grabbing the bottle of bourbon and pouring herself a generous amount. “I guess I can’t be that upset about it. After all, I’ve been cheating on Shae with Waverly for the past seven months.” She sighed and took a sip of her drink.

“Your indiscretions don’t overshadow her’s,” I stated.

Nicole’s only response was to ingest more bourbon.

Silence settled between us for a moment until she spoke again.

“Oh, by the way, Henry is actually The Doc Holiday that was friends with Wyatt Earp. He was cursed with immortality by Constance Clootie and thrown down a well until he found his way out after Wynonna became the Heir. He’s mortal now because the ring he wore that was tied to his immortality turned out to be the third seal that kept Bulshar magically imprisoned and was destroyed by the head revenant, BoBo Del Ray,” Nicole explained nonchalantly and finished off her bourbon.

I followed suit and drank the rest of my bourbon as well then grabbed the bottle off my desk and took a long swig. At this point, nothing surprised me, but maybe I could get drunk enough to trick myself into thinking I had dreamed all of this up.

“BoBo’s a revenant too,” I laughed. “Next, you’ll tell me that Deputy Marshall Dolls is actually God and Jeremy is a cherub.”

“Dolls is a lizard, maybe a dragon. No one knows for sure. And Jeremy is Jeremy as far as I know,” Nicole answered.

I couldn’t tell if Nicole was serious or just being funny because of the alcohol. I shrugged my shoulders and passed the bourbon to her.

It didn’t take long before the two of us were plastered and giggling like mad over Nicole spilling bourbon on her uniform. I don’t remember much after that, except that Randy helped me out of the bakery and to his patrol car and Nicole was snoring loudly in the seat next to me.

I woke up the next morning with a vicious hangover and decided to go back to bed for an hour to let the acetaminophen work its magic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really tell if it was working since I still felt like shit, but I called a taxi anyway. Upon arriving at the bakery, I immediately made myself some coffee.

After three more cups and an espresso, I finally felt better later that morning and was very grateful that I had sprung for a private restroom in my office.

It was after my rush that I began to examine what I did remember from my conversation with Nicole the night before. Henry is the real Doc Holiday, friend to the cursed Wyatt Earp, whose heirs send revenants back to hell using the long barreled pistol that Wynonna currently possessed. There was something about a third seal, BoBo Del Ray, and Deputy Marshall Dolls being a dragon or something, but it was all pretty fuzzy. I made a mental note to ask Nicole for clarification the next time I saw her and we had time to talk.

While I cleaned up the front room, I caught Randy peeking in the window at me. I smiled and waved to him and he smiled back before coming into the bakery.

“I didn’t expect that you’d be open today,” he commented.

“I almost wasn’t. Thank you for taking me home last night.”

“You’re welcome.” Randy dipped his head for a moment and shuffled his feet before lifting his head. “Sue, if you don’t mind me asking, why were you and Officer Haught getting drunk in your office?”

I could tell he was concerned and my heart swelled at how much he cared. But I knew I couldn’t tell him the exact reason why we got drunk since I wasn’t aware if he knew anything about the Earp curse.

“Nicole’s been having a rough go of it since she and Waverly are currently on the outs.”

“I’m glad she finally confided in someone,” Randy sighed in relief. “She’s refused to acknowledge that something’s bothering her.”

“She likes to keep things close to the vest.”

“She certainly does. I hope the two of them can work things out.”

My heart swelled even more. This man truly cared about Nicole and Waverly. I couldn’t resist and closed the distance between us and kissed him enthusiastically.

“What was that for?” he asked a bit surprised to be on the receiving end of such affection.

“Because you’re you,” I smiled.

He smiled back and we kissed lightly before I offered him a coffee and a treat.

The two of us talked for a while until he got a call and had to go. With a lingering kiss, Randy left the bakery just as Deputy Marshall Dolls entered.

I caught the bona fide smile on the Deputy Marshall’s face as he said hello to Randy and my cheeks flushed pink. No doubt he had caught us kissing. He flashed me the same smile, but never once mentioned what he saw.

It was more of the same over the next few weeks. Waverly and Nicole came into the bakery separately, each seeking the comfort of coffee and donuts to help them deal with their dustup and Wynonna and Deputy Marshall Dolls seemed to have a knack for catching Randy and I lip locked. It happened so often that Wynonna no longer cringed and claimed her appetite had weakened but stood waiting until we finished saying goodbye.

After spending the night together during the third week of August, Randy accompanied me to the bakery to help me make donuts, brownies, and other goodies for the day. By the time the morning rush was over, he looked positively adorable with his apron a complete mess and a large smear of flour on his nose.

I smiled and went to kiss him, but before I could he took off like a shot down the hall and ducked into the back room leaving me standing there blinking, trying to figure out what just happened. I didn’t have time to say anything or go after him before the door chimed. I turned around to look at my patron and found Nicole smiling as she approached the counter.

“Good morning, Sue,” she greeted cheerfully.

I shook off Randy’s perplexing behavior in order to take stock of Nicole. She was extremely happy, flashing me a wide grin which was something that I hadn’t seen from her in months. My eyes lit up as realization dawned on me.

“You and Waverly made up!” I squealed loudly.

“We did!”

“Eeeeeee!” I quickly made my way to her and gave her a bone crushing hug. “When?”

“Last night,” she answered hugging me back.

“Oh, good! It’s about time!”

We let go of each other before she spoke again. “I still couldn’t believe it when I woke up this morning and she was in bed beside me. I thought for sure that I’d never wake up that way again.”

“If you mind your p’s and q’s, I’m sure you’ll be waking up that way for many, many years.”

“You think?”

“As long as you don’t have any more skeletons in your closet. There’s not going to be a kid showing up calling you mama, is there?”

“Oh no. No kids,” Nicole waved her hands in the negative.

“Good. Well, I’d say this calls for a celebration! How about a large cappuccino and two apple fritters to keep you going this morning? We wouldn’t want those outlaws taking advantage of you having a late night, now would we?” I smirked.

Nicole flushed scarlet and gave me a bashful smile.

I chuckled then set about making coffee and bagging up apple fritters. I tossed in a couple of Boston cremes because I knew Waverly would be heading to the station to see her love. Nicole thanked me and wished me a good day before heading to work.

I watched her until I could no longer see her then made my way to the back room to deal with Randy. When I entered the room, he stood from his spot on the stool, still wearing his apron but was minus the flour smudge.

“You wanna explain why you flew the coop?” I asked.

“It was Nicole,” he answered.

“Yeah, and?”

“She’s a cop and a damn good one at that.”

“I’m well aware of her occupation but I’m still not understanding why you felt the need to hotfoot it back here.”

Randy looked away and shuffled his feet for a moment then scratched at the stubble on his cheeks. “I’m here. In the morning. Helping you,” he finally supplied.

Comprehension hit and I had to grin.

“Randall Nedley, are you telling me that you’re embarrassed that Nicole will find out that you slept over?” I asked as I sauntered over to him and slipped my arms over his shoulders.

“She’s important to me. It’s not like she’s a little kid and I can tell her that I was practicing for my CPR certification.”

“No, I don’t think that would work,” I chuckled. “But I get it. You’d rather her know that we’re seeing each other first.”

“It’s more than that,” he said seriously.

My heart began to race a mile a minute. “What is it?” I asked just as serious.

“I love you.”

My eyes instantly filled with tears upon hearing those three little words. It had been over a decade before since I had heard them last and I honestly never thought anyone would say them to me ever again, even though I had hoped that one day it might happen.

“You what?” I asked desperately wanting to hear him say it again.

“I love you, Sue.”

I kissed him soundly then and didn’t stop for quite some time.

“I love you, too,” I beamed through my tears.

He smiled back and we leaned in at the same time to share a tender kiss before hugging each other tightly until the timer for the oven went off.

“I’ll get it,” Randy said and I couldn’t help smiling after him.

I was the happiest I’d been in a long time.

Over the course of the next several days, Randy and I were only able to steal a moment or two together since he was in charge of security for the Ghost River County Fair. It was on one such occasion that Randy met up with me while I did my grocery shopping.

“I was thinking that we should tell Nicole and Waverly about us once the fair is over,” Randy said as he put the jar of meat sauce I handed him into the cart.

“That sounds like a good idea. Do you have any suggestions on where and how you’d want to tell them?” I asked and grabbed a box of lasagne noodles off the shelf and handed it to him.

“Not really.”

“Since they’re back together, they’ll be coming into the bakery attached at the hip or we could invite them over for dinner,” I suggested.

“I like the convenience of the bakery but the privacy of a dinner. Though, dinner might be a little too formal.”

“Hmmmm.” I thought for a moment. “I could ask them to come to the bakery at closing time. We’d be alone and it might be more comfortable for all of us than a sit-down dinner.”

“Sounds good to me,” he smiled.

We continued to move through the store crossing each item off our list and talking as we went. Randy had just put a bag of grapes in the cart when we heard a commotion near the entrance. It sounded like glass shattering followed by several people yelling.

Seconds later, a tall, burly man dressed all in black flew around the corner of the aisle we were in and biffed it right into a display of perfectly stacked lemons. The man scrambled to get up, but he slipped on some of the squashed lemons and went sprawling head first into a free-standing cooler that held refrigerated produce.

He tried twice to get up before he succeeded and wiped the blood off his face from the gash on his forehead as he limped down the rest of the aisle. We watched him disappear around the corner then turned to look at each other.

“I should probably go after him,” Randy said.

“Yeah,” I sighed.

He was about to kiss me goodbye when we heard someone squeal to our left. We turned our heads just in time to see Wynonna slipping on the squashed lemons.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” she swore as she wildly flailed her arms with her pistol in the air.

She hit gut first on the free-standing cooler and let out a painful “ooff” before a string of expletives as her gun went clattering to the ground. Wynonna hauled herself up, dashed around to the other side of the cooler, picked up her gun, and continued after the man.

“I think Wynonna has it handled,” Randy deadpanned.

“It looks like it,” I agreed.

We looked at each other and mutually decided to continue shopping, making sure to take great care maneuvering around the annihilated lemons.

By the time we finished checking out, the broken glass had been completely cleaned up and Deputy Marshall Dolls was speaking to the manager. We smiled and nodded a greeting at him as we walked out of the store and he returned the gesture.

“Do you think that you’ll be free for dinner?” I asked as we started to put my groceries in the trunk of my car.

“I don’t know. I could be if this thing with Wynonna doesn’t need my attention,” he said as he waved a hand towards the grocery store.

“Ok. I’ll go ahead and make dinner for two and if you can’t make it, then you can have it later.”

“Sounds good,” he smiled at me before he shut the trunk.

I smiled back and handed him his bag of groceries.

“Thanks, Hon,” he said and we leaned in to share a kiss.

“Holy dough balls!”

Randy and I turned around to find Waverly with her mouth open and her hands palm up and extended out towards us. Nicole stood next to her, her eyes wide with shock at seeing us together.

“You two are-” Nicole started but was cut off by Wynonna, who seemed to appear out of nowhere on the other side of Randy.

“Yuppers! They’re bumping uglies! Have been for a while now!” Wynonna announced loudly.

The strong smell of whisky on her breath was enough to curl my nose hairs.

“Seeing them makn’ out at the bakery is sooooo gross! Ooooo! Beef jerky!” Wynonna’s eyes lit up as she snatched the dried meat from Randy’s bag and took off before anyone had a chance to object to anything she had just said or done.

“Are you guys together?” Waverly asked getting us all back on track.

“Yes,” Randy answered.

“Wow!” Nicole said.

“I never would have thought that you two would get together. Not that I didn’t think you could find somebody, obviously you both could because you’re good people, but you’re the Sheriff and you own the bakery and it’s-” Waverly rambled until Nicole took over.

“What Waves is trying to say is when did this happen?”

“It actually snuck up on us,” I chuckled remembering. “I didn’t realize something was there until Randy got injured this past May. He asked me out to dinner and we went a few weeks later once his injuries had healed,” I disclosed as I took Randy’s hand in mine.

“Was that why you were all happy that day and refused to tell me why?” Nicole wondered.

“It was,” I confirmed.

“You guys have been together since the end of June and we’re just now finding out two months later?” Waverly questioned with more than a little hurt in her voice. “Who else knows?”

“Wynonna, Deputy Marshall Dolls, Jeremy,” Randy started listing.

“So pretty much everyone,” Nicole added and crossed her arms bitterly in front of her.

“I know we should have told you sooner,” I stated.

“Yeah, but why didn’t you?” Waverly asked.

Randy fielded this one. “Do you really think you would’ve wanted to hear about us while your own relationship was up in the air?”

Waverly shuffled her feet and Nicole uncrossed her arms, but neither of them said anything.

“We planned to invite you to the bakery to tell you that we’re in love once the fair was over and Randy and Nicole had some downtime. I’m sorry that you found out this way,” I said.

“We’re sorry, too. You’re always there for us, helping and listening to us about our lives that we prevented you from sharing yours,” Waverly apologized.

“It does go both ways. We’re sorry that we forgot that,” Nicole added.

I let go of Randy’s hand and stepped forward in order to hug them both at the same time.

 


End file.
